Softball Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Meeker Cowboys
Rifle has gone 10-0 against Meeker recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Rifle Bears will be playing in front of their home fans against the Meeker Cowboys. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Rifle took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Battle Mountain with a sharp 14-2 win. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matches by six runs or more this season.
Olivia Gordon spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Rifle got a massive performance out of Ella Jackson, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Rylan Petree, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Rifle kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now hit at least eight hits in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Meeker beat Basalt 10-5 last Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cowboys.
Meeker also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Kailynn Watson gave up four earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits and racked up seven Ks. The dominant performance gave Watson a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Ashlynn Ducey was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Miah Wren, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
The victory snapped Rifle's losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 6-7 record. As for Meeker, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 6-5 record this season.
Meeker's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Rifle has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.6 hits per game. It's a different story for Meeker, though, as they've been averaging 9.5. Given Rifle's sizable advantage in that area, Meeker will need to find a way to close that gap.
Rifle was able to grind out a solid win over Meeker when the teams last played back in August, winning 19-16. Will Rifle repeat their success, or does Meeker have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
