The Columbine Rebels will head out to take on the Arvada West Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Columbine has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Arvada West will arrive with seven straight wins.
Ralston Valley hit Columbine with a eight-run seventh inning on Saturday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Rebels lost 15-3 to the Mustangs. That's two games in a row now that the Rebels have lost by exactly 12 runs.
Matthew Kossik was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Jack Bontrager also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Arvada West faced Northfield in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 19-1 margin over the Nighthawks. Considering the Wildcats have won eight matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Cooper Vais made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Keegan Millikan, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Tate Deal, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Arvada West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .719. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Arvada West's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-2-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Columbine, their loss dropped their record down to 6-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Columbine has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Arvada West struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 10.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Columbine suffered a grim 12-4 defeat to Arvada West in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Rebels avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
