The Montrose Red Hawks will be taking part in a tournament against the Rifle Bears at 10:00 a.m. on Friday. Montrose has given up an average of 10.4 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Montrose managed to slip by Summit the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. Montrose lost 14-7 to Summit on Friday. The Red Hawks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Montrose got a good showing from Brekin Hutto, who tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits.
On the hitting side, Montrose saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cade Saunders, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 1-for-2. Joey Benitez was another, scoring a run and stealing Three bases.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Rifle, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They walked away with a 12-7 victory over Mountain View on Monday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Bears considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Ryder Bjurstrom made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off six hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Robbie Magnuson, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Another player making a difference was Josh Wright, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Montrose now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Rifle, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Montrose has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Rifle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
