The Poston Butte Broncos will head out to take on the Deer Valley Skyhawks at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Poston Butte has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Deer Valley will arrive with four straight victories.
On Wednesday, Poston Butte came up short against ALA - Gilbert North and fell 5-1.
Damian Serrano spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Cordd Baker
| 04/02/25 vs ALA - Gilbert North | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ ALA - Gilbert North | 1 |
| 03/29/25 vs Bradshaw Mountain | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Combs | 5 |
| 03/25/25 vs Combs | 2 |
| 03/19/25 @ Sahuaro | 2 |
On the hitting side, Poston Butte saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cordd Baker, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Baker is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games he's played.
Meanwhile, Deer Valley hadn't done well against Estrella Foothills recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Skyhawks came out on top in a nail-biter against the Wolves, sneaking past 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Skyhawks have posted since April 27, 2024.
Deer Valley also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Gavin McDonald gave up a run (which was unearned) on six hits and racked up eight Ks. McDonald also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because the Skyhawks are 5-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-7-1 otherwise.
Deer Valley's victory was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-8-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Poston Butte, their loss dropped their record down to 5-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Poston Butte has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Deer Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Poston Butte's way against Deer Valley when the teams last played back in April of 2022, as Poston Butte made off with an 8-2 victory. Do the Broncos have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Skyhawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
