Softball Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Berthoud Spartans
The Rifle Bears's road trip will continue as they head out to face the Berthoud Spartans at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Rifle will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Friday, then bounced right back against Air Academy on Friday. Rifle blew past Air Academy 12-2. The win was some much needed relief for the Bears as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Olivia Gordon spent all five innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on six hits. The last time her batting average was this high was back in September of 2023.
At the plate, Tyhler Decrow was a standout: she went 3-for-3 with a home run, two runs, and a stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Ella Jackson, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple.
Meanwhile, Berthoud came tearing into Friday's matchup with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12 runs) and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Kadets a 22-0 shutout. The Spartans' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Lilly Dodd was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Dodd was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Berthoud got a massive performance out of Madelyn Kuntz, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3. Annabelle Hughes was another key player, going 2-for-3 with a home run, five RBI, and a double.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Berthoud always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .686. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Air Academy only posted an OBP of .250.
Rifle now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Berthoud, their record is now 7-1.
Rifle came up short against Berthoud in their previous matchup back in September of 2017, falling 7-4. Can Rifle avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
