Columbine is 0-5 against Valor Christian since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Columbine Rebels will be playing at home against the Valor Christian Eagles at 4:00 p.m.
Columbine is is headed into Thursday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game on Tuesday. They fell just short of Dakota Ridge by a score of 3-2.
Ian Alexander was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
At the plate, Jack Snyder made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Valor Christian came tearing into Wednesday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over the Wildcats.
Valor Christian also got a great performance from Will Hayes as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Hayes has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks every time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Keegan Waters, who went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run, and an RBI. Another player making a difference was Tommy Mirande, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Columbine's defeat dropped their record down to 4-9-1. As for Valor Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Columbine hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Valor Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Columbine might still be hurting after the 9-3 loss they got from Valor Christian in their previous matchup back in May of 2023. Thankfully for Columbine, Ben Leikam (who struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
