Miami had lost 14 straight at home dating back to last season, but on Wednesday they dropped their record down to 2-18 to make it 15. They fell 16-11 to the Willcox Cowboys. The Vandals were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Cowboys apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in March of 2022.
Nathan Madrid put in work while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero). He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kris Tarango and Mathew Zamora did some serious damage despite the final result: Tarango went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Zamora went 3-for-5 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Alex Doss was another key player, going 4-for-5 with two runs.
As for Willcox, with the victory, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 9-13-1. Their hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
On Willcox's side, the team relied heavily on Joe Sanchez, who went 4-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Sanchez has become a key player for the Cowboys: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 7-12-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Christain Teeters, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Coming up, Miami will be playing in front of their home fans against San Carlos at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The Vandals are facing the Braves at the right time seeing as the Braves are stuck on a 15-game losing streak. As for Willcox, they will take on Tombstone at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The Cowboys' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Yellow Jackets have averaged an impressive 8.9 runs per game this season.
