Russell and Ellis are an even 4-4 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Broncos will be playing at home against the Railroaders at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Russell sitting on six straight wins and Ellis on three.
On Tuesday, Russell was able to grind out a solid victory over Minneapolis, taking the game 6-2.
Jaxon Ross
| 04/22/25 vs Minneapolis | 4 |
| 04/15/25 vs Sylvan-Lucas | 2 |
| 04/11/25 vs Chapman | 1 |
| 04/11/25 vs Chapman | 0 |
| 04/08/25 vs Ellsworth | 4 |
Jaxon Ross made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had over his last five matches. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sam Thielen, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Russell is undefeated when Thielen posts two or more stolen bases, but 6-7 otherwise. Mason Rohr was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base.
Russell hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Ellis made easy work of Sylvan-Lucas on Tuesday and carried off a 14-1 win. Considering the Railroaders have won eight games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Russell, Ellis also got a great game from a two-way player: Hunter Guffey. Throwing, Guffey pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Meanwhile, Gavyn Wildeman tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Guffey has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Guffey got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Wildeman went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Ben Byers and Aiden Aschenbrenner did most of the damage at the plate: Byers went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI, while Aschenbrenner went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Austin Lopeman, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Russell's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Ellis, their victory bumped their record up to 9-5.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Russell has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .506. However, it's not like Ellis struggles in that department as they've averaged .575. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Russell's way against Ellis in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, as Russell made off with a 10-2 win. Do the Broncos have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Railroaders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
