The Canyon del Oro Dorados are taking a road trip to challenge the Salpointe Catholic Lancers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Canyon del Oro 2.9, Salpointe Catholic 2.5) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Canyon del Oro is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Casa Grande just ended the team's eight-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Dorados have suffered since February 26th.
Canyon del Oro saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Regen Mazura, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Salpointe Catholic is still undefeated this season after their contest against Ironwood Ridge on Wednesday, but Ironwood Ridge came as close as anyone has to beating them. The Lancers came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against the Nighthawks. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lancers have posted since April 13, 2024.
Sam Meisner tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over 5.1 innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on David Driskill, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one double. Paul Saffer also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Salpointe Catholic's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-0-1. As for Canyon del Oro, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 13-4.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Canyon del Oro hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .342. However, it's not like Salpointe Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .347. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Canyon del Oro might still be hurting after the 13-3 defeat they got from Salpointe Catholic in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Dorados avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
