Baseball Game Preview: Ralston Valley Mustangs vs. Arvada West Wildcats

For the second straight game, Ralston Valley will face off against Arvada West. The Mustangs will take on the Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Ralston Valley has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Arvada West will arrive with ten straight victories.

Things were looking good for Ralston Valley after they put the first run on the board on Saturday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took an 8-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of Arvada West.

Grant Belcher put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has become a key player for Ralston Valley: the team is 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-7 otherwise. Belcher was even better at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.

Bret Baldwin

Runs

04/26/25 @ Columbine	4
04/21/25 @ Monarch	4
05/03/25 vs Arvada West	2
04/24/25 vs Columbine	2
04/10/25 @ Bear Creek	2
+ 6 more games

Belcher wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Bret Baldwin, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base. Ralston Valley is 5-2 when Baldwin posts two or more runs, but 5-7 otherwise.

Arvada West pushed their record up to 17-2-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 6.8 runs. As for Ralston Valley, their loss dropped their record down to 10-9.

Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Ralston Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .315. However, it's not like Arvada West struggles in that department as they've averaged .349. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.