The Rangely Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Denver Christian Thunder at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Rangely has given up an average of 6.8 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Things were looking good for Rangely after they put the first points on the board on Saturday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 14-4 to North Fork. The Panthers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Rangely saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Marcos Quintana, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Bradley Lambros also deserves some recognition as he got his first hits of the season.
Meanwhile, Denver Christian won against The Dalles on Thursday with nine runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Thunder came out on top in a nail-biter against Prospect Ridge Academy, sneaking past 9-7. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Thunder.
James Lord and Caleb Stork made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Lord pitched five innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Meanwhile, Stork pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Lord scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Stork went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. That's the most RBI Stork has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Elijah Whitfield was incredible, going 2-for-4 with two triples and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Patrick Elson, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Denver Christian pushed their record up to 5-1 with the win, which was their 13th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Rangely, their loss dropped their record down to 2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Rangely has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Denver Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
