Baseball Game Preview: Palisade Bulldogs vs. Lamar Thunder

Bulldogs

Runs

03/19/25 @ Pueblo East	13
03/19/25 @ Pueblo County	0
03/14/25 vs Fossil Ridge	4
03/08/25 vs Palmer Ridge	12
03/07/25 vs Ponderosa	11
03/06/25 vs Prairie View	4

The Palisade Bulldogs will venture away from home to face off against the Lamar Thunder at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. Palisade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.

Palisade barely beat Pueblo East the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Palisade blew past Pueblo East 13-2 on Wednesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Bulldogs needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.

Garrett Draper spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits.

At the plate, Caleb Blanck was a standout: he scored a run while going 4-for-4. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Another player making a difference was Kian Kinslow, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Palisade always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They are 2-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Lamar took care of business in their home opener (barely) on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Fowler 5-4.

Cael Buxton made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over 4.1 innings pitched. Buxton was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.

Buxton wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Alex Burkhart, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.

Palisade's record is now 2-4. As for Lamar, their win was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-0.