Hosting Grand Junction at Stubler Memorial Field Tuesday, the Glenwood Spring boys lacrosse team buckled down after the Tigers tied it 5-5 in the third quarter, taking the 11-5 win.

The Demons led 4-1 in the first half, but the Tiger came back to make it 5-4 at the break and scored the equalizer soon into the third.

“We started to get a little bit out of our organized offense, and it just led to them making a comeback and making some really good shots,” Glenwood head coach Joe Lang said.

The Demons controlled the ground balls 46-23 on the night, and senior co-captain and goalie Nolan McPherson had 13 saves while senior defenseman Jeff Lowe had four takeaways.

Sophomore Brady Johnson broke the tie with just under 5 minutes to play in the third period, and from that point on it was all Demons.

After Johnson’s goal, senior attackman Conner Powell had a goal called off for stepping into the crease. Seconds later, he made good on the second effort to make it 7-5.

Additional second-half goals came from sophomore attackmen Jamie Dolan and Nick Geiser, another from Powell and a parting shot from sophomore midfielder Ben Hippona in the closing seconds.

For the night, Powell and Geiser both had two goals and two assists, senior Cody Thompson had two goals and one assist, Dolan had two goals and one assist, and senior middle Owen Mangeot had a goal.

“We’re still a relatively young program, and we didn’t get to play last year,” Lang said of the canceled 2020 season due to COVID-19. “So with this group, it’s really only their second year playing together.”

The Demons sit at 3-2 in the 4A Mountain League ahead of a road trip to play Telluride (4-0) on Thursday and Durango (1-4) on Friday.

Baseball: Rifle stomps Coal Ridge, 16-2

Coal Ridge bats showed some promise in the second inning, getting two runners across. That, however, was it.

Manufacturing some consistent runs throughout Monday’s Memorial Day outing against the host Titans, Rifle baseball nabbed a 16-2 victory.

With the win, the Bears now hold a 5-6 overall, 4-3 Class 4A conference record. Coal Ridge, meanwhile, has dropped to a 3-9 overall, and 2-6 in the 3A conference.

Rifle drew first blood during Monday’s game, tallying three runs. After the Titans answered back in the bottom of the second stanza, Rifle would go on a 13-0 run to finish the game.

The Bears would score one run in the top of the third and fourth innings before tallying an additional three runs at the top of the fifth inning and a final eight runs in the top of the seventh inning.

On offense, Bears junior Trey Caldwell led the charge at the dish. On four appearances, he collected 4 RBI as well as 2 runs. He also spanked three doubles.

Sophomore teammate Connor Abbott also had a good showing at the plate, chipping in 2 RBI and 1 run on three appearances.

On the hill, starting Bears pitcher, junior Gavin Peterson, collected three strikeouts in two innings.

Coal Ridge stats were not unavailable.

Next up, Rifle prepares to host Summit at 4 p.m. Thursday. Coal Ridge, meanwhile, travels to Carbondale to take on Roaring Fork at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Glenwood Springs 8, Steamboat Springs 6

The Glenwood Springs baseball team held off a late rally by Steamboat Springs on the road Tuesday to claim the 8-6 win in the first game of a double-header.

The Demons scored two in the first, four in the fourth and another two in the fifth to lead 8-4 headed into the final two innings. The Sailors scored two in the bottom half of the seventh, but the Glenwood pitching held tight.

Junior Jordan Meraz went two for three, including a triple, and drove in three runs for the Demons. Senior pitcher Wheatley Nieslanik went six innings, giving up just one earned run.

Glenwood Springs 7, Steamboat Springs 4

The second game saw the Demons open a 2-0 lead before the Sailors came back in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Glenwood responded with three in the sixth and two in the seventh to take the nightcap.

Senior Garret Dollahan went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, and junior Evan Heyl was 1-for-2, also with 2 RBIs. On the mound, Heyl and Meraz combined for a team 1.00 ERA.

Glenwood stands at 2-6 overall and 2-4 in the 4A Western Slope League ahead of a Saturday double header at home against Summit and another double header Monday versus Rifle.

Girls soccer: Glenwood 4, Summit 1

Junior Sydney Reinhold scored two goals and sophomore Cate Simpson and junior Ella Johnson had one each, as the Lady Demons topped Summit on the road Tuesday.

The win keeps Glenwood Springs in the 4A Western Slope League hunt at 4-2-2. A home rematch with the Palisade Bulldogs, who the Demons beat 1-0 in double overtime Saturday, is set for 11 a.m. Saturday.

Girls tennis: Glenwood 7, Basalt 0

The Lady Demons tennis team ran the tables versus Basalt on May 28 to score their third team win of the season. The win came on the heels of a 6-1 loss to Vail Mountain on May 26.

Match wins for Glenwood on Friday came from No. 1 singles Kenzie Winder (6-4, 6-4), No. 2 singles Miah Suarez (6-0, 6-2) and No. 3 singles Katherine Young (6-1, 6-0).

Doubles winners were Ella Henderson/Emily deMoraes (6-3, 6-0), Mattea Enewold/Siri Henderson (6-1, 6-2), Cate Williams/Hellen Bolton (6-0, 6-3) and Amanda Dehm/Sofia Mohl (6-1, 6-4).

The Demons are at the 3A Region 8 tournament Thursday in Grand Junction for a chance at state qualifying.