Baseball Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Basalt Longhorns
Rifle is 5-0 against Basalt since March of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Wednesday. The Rifle Bears will be staying on the road to face off against the Basalt Longhorns at 4:00 p.m. Basalt took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Rifle, who comes in off a win.
Rifle will head into Wednesday's match on the come-up: they were handed a two-run loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Roaring Fork on Wednesday. Rifle never let Roaring Fork onto the board and left with a 12-0 victory. The high-scoring effort was just what Rifle needed considering they were shutout in their previous contest.
Ryder Bjurstrom was incredible, scoring a run while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Charlie Sprenger, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Saturday just wasn't the day for Basalt's offense. They lost 20-0 to Eaton on Saturday. The game marked the first time this year in which Basalt was not able to get on the board.
Rifle's win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-8. As for Basalt, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Rifle has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Basalt struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Rifle took their victory against Basalt when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 12-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Rifle since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
