The Rifle High School baseball team rode a hot streak into Tuesday night’s home game against intra-district rival Coal Ridge and kept it going, extending its winning streak to six with a 5-2 win.

The Bears held the Titans scoreless until the seventh inning, while getting things rolling early scoring two runs in the first and adding one in the fourth plus a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Coal Ridge answered with two in the top of the seventh, but the Bears closed it out for the win.

Bears sophomore pitcher Logan Gross was dominant on the mound with 10 strikeouts and allowing just one hit and a pair of walks. Senior Gavin Peterson had a single and an RBI and junior Austin Bowlan doubled and scored a run. Junior Kade Street singled driving in a run and also reached base on an error.

“The guys are playing well together right now and really having fun playing with each other,” veteran Rifle coach Troy Phillips said. “It is a special group of guys that have played a lot of baseball together over the years and we are just trying to enjoy each day together.”

Coal Ridge freshman Jakson Slade was 1-for-2 on the night with two RBI’s.

The win moves Rifle to 9-3 overall ahead of a doubleheader on Friday against 4A Western Slope League foe Glenwood Springs. Game times are 4 and 6 p.m. at Deerfield Park in Rifle.

It’s the first of five key league games for the Bears, who stand at 3-2 in the WSL behind Palisade at 7-0 and Battle Mountain at 4-0.

“We are looking forward to another great challenge to see if we can get better,” Phillips said.

Coal Ridge dropped to 7-3 with the loss, and sits at 4-2 in the 3A WSL classification.

In earlier action, Rifle swept a doubleheader at Cedaredge on Saturday, 11-1 and 17-1, which came on top of another convincing non-league win at home, 14-4, against Moffat County April 14, and a doubleheader sweep against Steamboat Springs the weekend before.

Bowlan threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts in the opener against Cedaredge, and on offense was was 3-for-4 with four RBI’s and a run.

Senior Trey Caldwell was 2-for-4 with a run and RBI, and Gross had three stolen bases after a single, a walk and reaching on an error. He also scored a run and had an RBI. Peterson had two RBI’s, as well.

In the nightcap, Peterson pitched four innings, gathering four strikeouts en route to the win. As a hitter, he had two doubles, a triple and a walk, driving home two and scoring three runs.

Gross hit two triples and had two RBI’s for the game, while Bowlan and Street contributed three RBI’s each, and Caldwell and freshman Josh Wright had two apiece.

Against Moffat County, senior Easton Phillips was 3-for-5 with four RBI’s. The Bears are 3-2 in the 4A Western Slope League with a key double-header against Glenwood Springs at home Friday at 4 and 6 p.m.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, Coal Ridge won both ends of the doubleheader at Delta on Friday, 4-3 and 7-4. Junior Brandon Short was 1-for-2 with an RBI in the opener. RBI’s also came from sophomores Logan Simpson, Austin Price and Alexis Serna.

The Titans scored three in the first, two in the second and two in the fourth inning to take control of the nightcap versus the Panthers. Short went 2-for-4 with three RBI’s for the game, and freshman Logan Harlow as 2-for-4 with an RBI. Serna picked up the win on the mound.

Other weekend baseball scores: Roaring Fork 26, Aspen 2; Roaring Fork 18, Aspen 7; Summit 12, Glenwood Springs 5; Summit 7, Glenwood Springs 6; Dove Creek 7, Grand Valley 2; Dove Creek 16, Grand Valley 3; Nucla 16, Grand Valley 3

Monday: Evergreen 16, Glenwood Springs 6

Tuesday: Glenwood Springs 8, Meeker 7; North Fork 6, Roaring Fork 3;

Boys swimming

The Glenwood Springs High School boys swim team was in Grand Junction Friday and Saturday for back-to-back meets against District 51, Montrose and Moffat County.

The Demons came out on top in the team standings both days with multiple individual event winners, including: Quinn MacPherson, 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly; William Jones, 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle; Ross Bradbury, 100 back stroke; Connor Cooley, 100 breast stroke; and Luke Thornton 100 freestyle.

Glenwood Springs’ 200 medley relay of Bradbury, Cooley, Sam Barth and Jones also won with a time of 1:47.87, and 400 freestyle relay of Jones, Barth, MacPherson and Bradbury won at 3:34.92.

Saturday event winners for the Demons included: Connor Cooley, 100 butterfly; Bradbury, 100 backstroke; Jones, 50 and 100 freestyle; MacPherson, 500 freestyle.

The 200 medley relay of Bradbury, Cooley, MacPherson and Jones won again with an improved time of 1:46.29. Jones and Bradbury teamed up with Barth and MacPherson to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:36.55.

The Demons finish up the regular conference schedule this weekend in the home waters of the Glenwood Springs Community Center pool, again with back-to-back meets on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Other recent action

Girls soccer: Roaring Fork 5, Rifle 1; Palisade 1, Coal Ridge 0 (OT); Delta 7, Grand Valley 2; Steamboat Springs 3, Glenwood Springs 0; Coal Ridge 2, Rifle 0; Rifle 3, Vail Christian 0; Eagle Valley 2, Roaring Fork 1; Grand Junction 2, Roaring Fork 1; CRMS 5, Grand Valley 1; Aspen 2, CRMS 0.

Boys lacrosse: Glenwood Springs 11, Montrose 9

Girls lacrosse: Battle Mountain 11, Roaring Fork 10; Poudre 16, Roaring Fork 2

Senior Reporter/Managing Editor John Stroud can be reached at 970-384-9160 or jstroud@postindependent.com.