The Sunrise Mountain Mustangs will head out to take on the Verrado Vipers at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Sunrise Mountain will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Sunrise Mountain is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over Casa Grande.
Ethan Dinnell
| 04/30/25 vs Casa Grande | 5 |
| 04/24/25 vs Liberty | 6 |
| 04/16/25 @ Desert Ridge | 5 |
| 04/09/25 @ Lake Havasu | 6 |
| 04/03/25 vs Centennial | 8 |
| + 2 more games |
Ethan Dinnell looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Chase Heid, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last match, Verrado made sure to put some runs up on the board against North Canyon on Monday. The Vipers put the hurt on the Rattlers with a sharp 13-1 win. Considering the Vipers have won nine games by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Braxton Bjur made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Bjur was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Verrado let Eli Bebleh and Aaron Gutierrez run wild. Bebleh went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base, while Gutierrez went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. That's the most runs Bebleh has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Colton Zacher, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Verrado hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in four consecutive contests.
Verrado is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 14 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-7-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.2 runs over those games. As for Sunrise Mountain, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sunrise Mountain has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Verrado struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
