The Thornton Trojans will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Rangeview Raiders at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Thornton will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run last Friday, then bounced right back against Manual on Friday. The Trojans put the hurt on the Thunderbolts with a sharp 23-4 win. With that victory, the Trojans brought their scoring average up to 7.8 runs per game.
Ian Ruiz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up four earned runs off four hits. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 5.3 strikeouts per game. He was even better at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Diego Aquino
| 03/20/26 @ Manual | 3 |
| 03/24/25 @ Englewood | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Fort Lupton | 2 |
| 03/13/26 @ Kennedy | 1 |
| 04/15/25 vs Gateway | 1 |
In other batting news, Diego Aquino was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Ethan Stehle was another key player, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances with four stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI.
Thornton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .725. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rangeview). Everything went their way against Overland on Thursday as they made off with a 21-11 win. With that victory, the Raiders brought their scoring average up to 8 runs per game.
Like Thornton, Rangeview also got a great game from a two-way player: Emmanuel De La Torre. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Rangeview is 2-1 when De La Torre allows one or fewer hits, but 0-3 otherwise. De La Torre was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and two doubles.
In other batting news, Ryan Luevanos was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with five stolen bases, five RBI, and three runs. He has become a key player for Rangeview: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 0-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Sam Rashchuk, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Rangeview's win ended a six-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-4. As for Thornton, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Thornton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Rangeview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Thornton came up short against Rangeview when the teams last played back in March of 2025, falling 5-1. Will the Trojans have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
