Baseball Game Preview: Thatcher Eagles vs. Douglas Bulldogs

The Thatcher Eagles will face off against the Douglas Bulldogs at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Thatcher has given up an average of 8.4 runs per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

It was a Battle of the Birds when Thatcher took on Tanque Verde on Thursday. The Eagles fell 12-7 to the Hawks. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Thatcher saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jett Howard, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Douglas owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Rio Rico 1-0. The one-run effort marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.

Isidro Hoyos made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Douglas is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-8-1 otherwise. Hoyos was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.

The victory made it two in a row for Douglas and bumps their season record up to 10-8-1. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of one runs across that stretch. As for Thatcher, their loss dropped their record down to 6-10.

Thatcher couldn't quite get it done against Douglas in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 as they fell 9-4. Will the Eagles have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.