The Rifle Bears will take on the Grand Junction Central Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Five must be Rifle's lucky number: they beat Battle Mountain with that score not once but twice on Saturday. The Bears won by a run and slipped past the Huskies 5-4. The victory continues a trend for the Bears in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now won eight in a row.
Rifle secured the win behind a pair of hitters. One of them was Baden Phillips, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Grand Junction Central entered their tilt with Montrose on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Red Hawks a 10-0 shutout. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 23, 2022, but that streak is no more.
The team relied heavily on Parker Shahan, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Grand Junction Central is undefeated when Shahan posts two or more runs, but 1-16 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Moyer, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one run.
Rifle's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-11. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Grand Junction Central, their victory bumped their record up to 6-16.
Rifle's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's matchup. The Bears have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Grand Junction Central, though, as they've been averaging only 1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Rifle continue to outrun the ball?
Rifle might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Grand Junction Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will the Bears have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
