Baseball Game Preview: ThunderRidge Grizzlies vs. Columbine Rebels

The ThunderRidge Grizzlies will venture away from home to square off against the Columbine Rebels at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday. Columbine took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on ThunderRidge, who comes in off a win.

While Grizzlies fans will have to keep waiting for their team to come home, they shouldn't be too worried about the road trip considering the result of Tuesday's season opener. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Bear Creek on Tuesday, sneaking past 8-6.

Eli Jackson

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/11/25 @ Bear Creek	5
04/15/24 vs Rock Canyon	2
03/28/24 vs Arvada West	2
05/03/24 vs Ponderosa	1
04/03/24 vs Broomfield	1

Eli Jackson was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched 3.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cade Rath, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Drew Henry was another key player, scoring a run and stealing Three bases.

Meanwhile, Columbine lost 13-3 to Douglas County on Tuesday.

James Salazar made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.

ThunderRidge was able to grind out a solid win over Columbine in their previous meeting back in June of 2021, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for ThunderRidge since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.