The Cherry Creek Bruins will face off against the Grandview Wolves at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Cherry Creek sitting on 15 straight wins and Grandview on nine.
Cherry Creek is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Colorado's top teams: Arapahoe, who was ranked 23rd at the time (Cherry Creek was ranked second). The Bruins blew past the Warriors 12-1 on Saturday.
Cherry Creek got a great performance from Wyatt Rudden as he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Rudden has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Connor Larkin and Sean Klaess did most of the damage at the plate: Larkin went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double, while Klaess went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI Klaess has posted since back in March. Walker Rudden was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Cherry Creek always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Arapahoe only posted an OBP of .316.
Meanwhile, Grandview got the win against Smoky Hill on Saturday by a conclusive 11-3. The Wolves might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by six runs or more this season.
Justin Dean was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Dean was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Chase Chapman was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Kyle Cacciavillani, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Cherry Creek pushed their record up to 16-4-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Grandview, their record now sits at 18-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cherry Creek has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Grandview struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cherry Creek came out on top in a nail-biter against Grandview in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 11-9. Will the Bruins repeat their success, or do the Wolves have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
