Softball Preview: Rifle Bears vs. Basalt Longhorns
Rifle has been on the road for five straight, but on Tuesday they'll finally head home. They will welcome the Basalt Longhorns at 5:00 p.m. Rifle is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Rifle lost 12-2 to Delta on Thursday.
Rifle saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rylan Petree, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. Petree is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played dating back to last season.
Even though they lost, Rifle hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most three strikeouts in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Basalt). Everything went their way against Aspen on Thursday as Basalt made off with a 28-5 win. The Longhorns might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by ten runs or more this season.
Nyala Honey made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. What's more, she also racked up four strikeouts, the mostshe's had since back in October of 2023. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-3 with four runs, four RBI, and two doubles. What's more, she also racked up no strikeouts, the fewestshe's had since back in August.
In other batting news, Chloe Davies was a standout: she scored four runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. What's more, she also racked up two hits, the mostshe's had since back in September. Another player making a difference was Mia Sandoval, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
Rifle's defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 8-12. As for Basalt, their victory ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 6-13.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both team's pitchers. Rifle hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Basalt struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Rifle's way against Basalt in their previous meeting back in August of 2023, as Rifle made off with a 21-1 win. Will Rifle repeat their success, or does Basalt have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
