Preview: Eastmark Firebirds vs. Arizona College Prep Knights
Eastmark is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Arizona College Prep is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Eastmark Firebirds will take on the Arizona College Prep Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Eastmark gave their fans yet another huge victory on Monday. They never let Combs onto the board and left with a 19-0 win.
Tayler McCombs made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). McCombs was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Mya Searcy and Bella Gomez did most of the damage at the plate: Searcy went 3-for-3 with a home run, four stolen bases, and five RBI, while Gomez went 3-for-3 with a home run, four runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Aujene Mott, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Arizona College Prep sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-4 victory over Poston Butte on Monday.
Shelby O'Donnal was incredible, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Rachel Cain, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Eastmark has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 15-3 record this season. As for Arizona College Prep, their win bumped their record up to 11-8.
Arizona College Prep's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Eastmark has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Arizona College Prep, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 per game. Will Eastmark keep running through batters, or will Arizona College Prep buck the trend?
Eastmark came out on top in a nail-biter against Arizona College Prep in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 5-4. Will Eastmark repeat their success, or does Arizona College Prep have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
