The Rifle Bears will head out to face off against the Eagle Valley Devils at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Rifle is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
Rifle proved they can win big on Saturday (they won by nine) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-9 win over Aspen. Ten seems to be a good number for the Bears as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Remington Decrow looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
Joseph Spritzer
| 04/09/25 @ Aspen | 4 |
| 04/02/25 vs Glenwood Springs | 3 |
| 03/22/25 vs Montezuma-Cortez | 2 |
| 03/22/25 vs Bayfield | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Grand Junction | 1 |
| + 6 more games |
On the hitting side, Joseph Spritzer was a standout: he went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Adan Medina, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Rifle was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Eagle Valley came up short against Denver East on Thursday, falling 14-2.
Eli Adams made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Rifle's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Eagle Valley, they have been struggling recently as they've lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Rifle has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Eagle Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Rifle came out on top in a nail-biter against Eagle Valley in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 7-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
