Broncos Remain Unbeaten After Sweep of Rematch with Colby

Game 1: Russell-Victoria 3, Colby 1, 9 innings
Game 2: Russell-Victoria 10, Colby 6

The Russell-Victoria Broncos Baseball team played their first road contests of the 2026 season in a place where last May, they felt right at home.

The Broncos defeated Holcomb in the Class 3A Regional Semifinals then later in the afternoon blanked the Colby Eagles on their home field, 6-0 to capture the Regional title and earn a trip to the State Tournament for the first time since 2016.  

On Thursday, the Broncos and Eagles squared off again and the results were the same with Russell-Victoria sweeping the doubleheader, 3-1 in nine innings and 10-6.

The opener featured a pitching rematch for Russell-Victoria's Max Evans as he faced Colby's Braxton Withington. The two Salina Spikes Summer Ball teammates matched each other scoreless inning for scoreless inning in the Regional final last year before the Broncos broke on top in the fourth inning and Evans sealed the victory with a three-run homer in the seventh inning, while authoring a complete-game shutout.

With Evans and Withington dominating on the mound once again on Thursday, the teams battled through the first seven innings without a single run crossing the plate.  Evans gave Russell-Victoria a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded but Colby responded with a run in their half of the frame and the game went into the ninth inning where the Broncos regained the lead with two runs on hits by Sam Thielen and Pierce Schoenberger before Thielen (2-0) closed out the game by shutting down Colby in the bottom of the ninth. While Evans did not get a decision for his day's work, he did strike out 12 Eagle batters while allowing just four hits.

In the nightcap, the Broncos raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a bases-clearing double by Wes Dreiling.  Russell-Victoria built their lead to 6-1 before Colby rallied late to make it close, but the Broncos hung on for the win behind Thielen (3-0) who had started the game and pitched the first three innings. Dreiling and Kyle Huser each drove in four runs, Evans, Thielen and Dreiling had two hits apiece and Kooper Hamlin had four stolen bases for Russell-Victoria (6-0).

The Broncos will be back on the field on Tuesday, April 7 for the second of seven straight road doubleheaders when they travel to Ellsworth to face the Bearcats.  First pitch for Game 1 is set for 4 p.m.