Arvada West and Columbine are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Arvada West Wildcats will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the Columbine Rebels at 4:00 p.m. Columbine took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Arvada West, who comes in off a win.
In what's become a running theme this season, Arvada West gave their fans yet another huge win on Monday. They blew past Erie 12-3.
Tate Deal was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Luke Alonso, who went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Columbine was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell just short of Monarch by a score of 12-11. One positive for Columbine, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Columbine also got a good showing from Ian Alexander, who struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and not a single walk).
At the plate, Elias Frainier and Noah Graves did some serious damage despite the final result: Frainier went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI, and two runs, while Graves went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a double. Jack Snyder was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Arvada West's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-5. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs per game. As for Columbine, their loss dropped their record down to 4-7-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Arvada West has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Arvada West came out on top in a nail-biter against Columbine in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, sneaking past 8-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for Arvada West since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
