Baseball Game Preview: Gilbert Tigers vs. Williams Field Black Hawks

For the second straight game, Gilbert will face off against Williams Field. The Tigers will take on the Black Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Gilbert managed to slip by Williams Field the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Tigers came up short against the Black Hawks on Tuesday, falling 11-0. The matchup marked the first time this season in which the Tigers were not able to get on the board.

For Williams Field's part, Jaxon Valdez made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. Valdez has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and one double.

In other batting news, Silas Stephens was a standout: he scored three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024. Jaxin Hernandez was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Williams Field always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gilbert only posted an OBP of .263.

Williams Field is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Gilbert, they moved to 7-10 with that loss, which also ended their six-game winning streak.