Baseball Game Preview: Apache Junction Prospectors vs. Coolidge Bears

The Apache Junction Prospectors will face off against the Coolidge Bears at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Apache Junction has four straight victories, Coolidge has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Apache Junction took a 17-run defeat the last time they faced off against Poston Butte, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Apache Junction had just enough and edged out Poston Butte 8-7 on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Prospectors have posted since April 15, 2024.

The team relied heavily on Rhett Ruiz, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double. Connor Trisoliere was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.

Meanwhile, Coolidge came up short against Santa Cruz Valley on Friday and fell 10-5.

Coolidge saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maurice Glass, who went 1-for-4 with one double. Adam Carreon also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Apache Junction's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-4. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 9.8 hits in those games compared to only 5.6 in the others. As for Coolidge, they now have a losing record of 3-4.

Coolidge's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Apache Junction hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .367. It's a different story for Coolidge, though, as they've only averaged .240. Will they be able to contain Apache Junction's hitters?

Apache Junction took their win against Coolidge in their previous meeting back in April of 2016 by a conclusive 12-2. Does Apache Junction have another victory up their sleeve, or will Coolidge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.