The Ralston Valley Mustangs will face off against the Columbine Rebels at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Ralston Valley will be strutting in after a victory while Columbine will be coming in after a loss.
Ralston Valley is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Monarch 15-8 on Monday. The win was familiar territory for the Mustangs, who have now won three contests in a row.
Jake Watts looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Bret Baldwin
| 04/21/25 @ Monarch | 5 |
| 03/26/25 @ Erie | 3 |
| 04/15/25 @ Lakewood | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Bear Creek | 2 |
| 05/11/24 @ Arvada West | 2 |
At the plate, Ralston Valley got a massive performance out of Bret Baldwin, who went a perfect 5-for-5 with four runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those five hits gave Baldwin a new career-high. Nico Benallo was another key player, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Ralston Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Columbine lost 15-4 to Valor Christian on Tuesday. The defeat continues a trend for the Rebels in their meetings with the Eagles: they've now lost nine in a row.
James Salazar made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Powell, who went 1-for-2 with two runs.
Ralston Valley's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-6. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.5 runs over those games. As for Columbine, their loss dropped their record down to 6-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ralston Valley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Columbine struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 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 victory over Columbine when the teams last played back in April of 2024, winning 7-4. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Rebels have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
