Baseball Game Preview: Shadow Mountain Matadors vs. Chino Valley Cougars

The Shadow Mountain Matadors will take on the Chino Valley Cougars in a tournament on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with six losses in a row dating back to last season, Shadow Mountain turned things around against Cortez on Thursday. They blew past the Colts 30-3. The high-scoring effort was just what the Matadors needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.

Jack Zauner was a standout: he scored three runs while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. What's more, he posted three hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Andy Chaplick, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.

Shadow Mountain always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .660. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cortez only posted an OBP of .476.

Meanwhile, Chino Valley had to kick off their season on the road on Wednesday, but they showed no ill effects. They had just enough and edged out Arizona Lutheran Academy 5-4.

Freddie Garcia made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Garcia was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3.

In other batting news, Ryan Lamotte was excellent, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.