The Fossil Ridge SaberCats will head out to challenge the ThunderRidge Grizzlies at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. Fossil Ridge is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.4 runs per game this season.
Fossil Ridge took a six-run defeat the last time they faced off against Rocky Mountain, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The SaberCats skirted past the Lobos 15-13. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the SaberCats considering their one-run performance the game before.
Ryne VanMaanen
| 04/17/25 vs Rocky Mountain | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Heritage | 1 |
| 04/10/25 @ Greeley West | 1 |
| 04/02/25 @ Loveland | 0 |
| 03/27/25 @ Fort Collins | 1 |
Ryne VanMaanen looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Mason Griffin was incredible, firing off two home runs, four runs, and five RBI while going 4-for-4. Those two home runs gave him a new career-high. Brady Bradford was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three runs and two doubles.
Fossil Ridge was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, ThunderRidge came up short against Ponderosa on Wednesday and fell 7-2. The Grizzlies haven't had much luck with the Mustangs recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.
ThunderRidge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Paquette, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one double. Evan Olds also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Fossil Ridge has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.2 runs over those games. As for ThunderRidge, their loss dropped their record down to 5-8.
ThunderRidge's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Saturday. Fossil Ridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for ThunderRidge, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Fossil Ridge keep running through batters, or will the Grizzlies buck the trend? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
