Lamar has gone a perfect 4-0 against Salida recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Thunder will head out to square off against the Spartans at 12:00 p.m. Lamar is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.1 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Lamar earned a 6-1 victory over Burlington. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Thunder.
Alex Williams spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up 12 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
Cael Buxton
| 04/11/25 vs Buena Vista | 4 |
| 04/11/25 vs Buena Vista | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ La Junta | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Alamosa | 3 |
| 03/31/25 @ Rye | 3 |
| + 8 more games |
On the hitting side, Cael Buxton was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. He has become a key player for Lamar: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-5 otherwise. Axton Morales was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Salida never got on the board in their matchup last Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Sand Creek on Monday. They blew past the Scorpions 14-6. The Spartans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by eight runs or more this season.
Brody Hudson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Hudson was even better at the plate, going 4-for-5 with four runs, four RBI, and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Canin Becker, who went 4-for-5 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hudson Fisher, who went 3-for-5 with three runs.
Salida was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .476. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Lamar pushed their record up to 11-5 with the win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Salida, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lamar has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Salida struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Lamar's way against Salida in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Lamar made off with a 20-8 win. Do the Thunder have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Spartans turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
