The Ralston Valley Mustangs will take on the Arapahoe Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Ralston Valley's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Lakewood by a score of 4-0. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Winston Patterson
| 04/01/25 vs Castle View | 6 |
| 03/21/25 vs Galena | 1 |
The result came thanks to Winston Patterson's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up 11 Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Ralston Valley is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-6 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Brayden Gillest was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Mason Gilbreath, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Ralston Valley lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Arapahoe entered their tilt with Mullen on Tuesday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Mustangs. That's two games straight that the Warriors have won by just one run.
Cain Gostenik spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned runs on seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Ralston Valley now has a winning record of 7-6. As for Arapahoe, their victory bumped their record up to 10-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ralston Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Arapahoe struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ralston Valley was able to grind out a solid win over Arapahoe when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 7-4. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Warriors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
