Softball Preview: Valor Christian Eagles vs. Columbine Rebels
Valor Christian is 2-7 against Columbine since October of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Valor Christian Eagles will host the Columbine Rebels at 4:00 p.m. Valor Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.5 runs per game this season.
Valor Christian is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Chatfield, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Valor Christian was ranked third). Valor Christian came up short against Chatfield on Monday, falling 15-5. The Eagles' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Elizabeth Canales made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Abigail Watson, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-5.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Columbine, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They never let Bear Creek onto the board and left with an 8-0 victory on Monday. The Rebels might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight games by six runs or more this season.
Not much got past Alexis Archuleta, who gave up just four hits to keep Bear Creek off the board. The dominant performance also gave Archuleta a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Charlee Abelein was a standout: she went 4-for-4 with two RBI and a double. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Nina Vargas, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Columbine was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bear Creek only posted a batting average of .115.
Valor Christian's defeat dropped their record down to 16-3. As for Columbine, their win bumped their record up to 14-5.
Columbine's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Valor Christian has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Columbine, though, as they've been averaging 10.3. Given Valor Christian's sizable advantage in that area, Columbine will need to find a way to close that gap.
Valor Christian took their victory against Columbine when the teams last played back in September by a conclusive 13-3. Will Valor Christian repeat their success, or does Columbine have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
