The Bagdad Sultans will challenge the Joseph City Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Bagdad's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Desert Heights Prep 17-0. The victory continues a trend for the Sultans in their matchups with the Yote: they've now won five in a row.
Tatum Jeans made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
Anna Williams
| 04/16/25 @ Desert Heights Prep | 5 |
| 04/15/25 vs Maryvale Prep | 3 |
| 04/07/25 @ Kingman Academy | 2 |
| 04/04/25 @ Salome | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Desert Heights Prep | 2 |
| + 8 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Anna Williams, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Jaylyn Rodriguez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one double.
Bagdad kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in eight consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Joseph City, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They were the clear victors by a 15-0 margin over Mayer on Thursday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Joseph City considering their two-run performance the contest before.
April Neill was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Gabby Jesmer was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Joseph City pushed their record up to 20-3 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Bagdad, their win bumped their record up to 13-4.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bagdad hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .552. However, it's not like Joseph City struggles in that department as they've averaged .488. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bagdad might still be hurting after the 26-4 defeat they got from Joseph City when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Sultans avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
