The Loveland Red Wolves will face off against the Greeley West Spartans at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Loveland barely beat Fairview the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Red Wolves were the clear victors by a 12-5 margin over the Knights on Saturday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Red Wolves considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Ava Gintoli made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in August. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with two runs.
Izabelle Tilton
| 09/27/25 @ Fairview | 4 |
| 08/29/25 @ Lewis-Palmer | 3 |
| 08/29/25 vs Pine Creek | 2 |
| 08/23/24 vs Fountain-Fort Carson | 2 |
| 08/22/24 @ Poudre | 2 |
In other batting news, Izabelle Tilton was incredible, getting on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, four runs, and four RBI. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. Norah Patella was another key player, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double.
Loveland kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. They are 6-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Greeley West made sure to put some runs up on the board against Fort Collins on Tuesday. The Spartans blew past the Lambkins 10-4. The Spartans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Like Loveland, Greeley West also got a great game from a two-way player: Amaya Cron. On the mound, she struck out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. With that strong performance, Cron is now averaging an impressive 5.2 strikeouts per game. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hayden Atchley, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Josephine Gibson, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
With the win, Loveland broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 7-12. As for Greeley West, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Loveland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .325. However, it's not like Greeley West struggles in that department as they've averaged .412. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Loveland came out on top in a nail-biter against Greeley West in their previous meeting back in September, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Red Wolves since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
