The Monarch Coyotes will venture away from home to challenge the Legacy Lightning at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Having struggled with eight losses in a row, Monarch turned things around against Niwot on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Cougars. That eight run margin sets a new team best for the Coyotes this season.
Charlie Pearce
| 04/15/25 vs Niwot | 3 |
| 04/09/25 @ Fairview | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Broomfield | 1 |
| 04/10/25 @ Frederick | 1 |
| 04/07/25 @ Chatfield | 1 |
Charlie Pearce was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Blake Thompson was incredible, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Blake Lehrer also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Legacy waltzed into their game on Tuesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They put the hurt on the Warriors with a sharp 15-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Lightning, who have now won nine contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Legacy let Jason Olsen and Kellen Reiser run wild. Olsen went 1-for-4 with one home run and four RBI, while Reiser went 3-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and one double. Reiser is becoming a predictor of Legacy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Christopher Jewett, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Legacy pushed their record up to 9-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Monarch, their victory was their first in the league, bumping their league record up to 1-4 and their overall record up to 3-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Monarch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Legacy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Monarch might still be hurting after the 13-3 defeat they got from Legacy in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Coyotes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
