Baseball Game Preview: Basalt Longhorns vs. Rifle Bears

Basalt hasn't had much luck against Rifle recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Longhorns will host the Bears at 4:00 p.m. Basalt is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.

Basalt is headed into Tuesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Monday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 7-6 heartbreaker at the hands of Colorado Academy.

Elias Schendler

Runs

04/02/25 @ Aspen	5
04/22/25 vs Olathe	3
04/12/25 @ Gunnison	3
04/12/25 @ Gunnison	3
04/28/25 @ Colorado Academy	2
+ 5 more games

Elias Schendler made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Basalt's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-2 (and 4-5 when he doesn't).

Meanwhile, Rifle was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell 7-4 to Delta.

Quentin Kramer was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.

Rifle's loss dropped their record down to 8-8. As for Basalt, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-7.

Rifle's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Basalt hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. It's a different story for Rifle, though, as they've only averaged .256. Will they be able to contain Basalt's hitters?

Basalt was able to grind out a solid win over Rifle in their previous matchup back in March, winning 14-11. Will the Longhorns repeat their success, or do the Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.