Baseball Game Preview: Thatcher Eagles vs. Safford Bulldogs

For the first time this season, Thatcher will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Tuesday. They are taking a road trip to challenge the Safford Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Thatcher saw some tournament action on Friday. They came up short against Mica Mountain, falling 13-6. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Paxton Echols

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/14/25 vs Mica Mountain	3
03/14/25 vs Benson	2
03/12/25 vs St. Mary's	2
02/27/25 vs Ray	2
04/15/24 vs Palo Verde	2

Thatcher saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Paxton Echols, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave Echols a new career-high in RBI (three). Jett Howard was another, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.

Echols wasn't the only one working in the hit department: Thatcher kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Safford fell victim to Gilbert Christian and their airtight pitching crew last Thursday. They lost 11-0 to the Knights. The game marked the first time this year in which the Bulldogs were not able to get on the board.

Safford's loss dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Thatcher, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Safford's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Thatcher hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Safford, though, as they've only averaged .219. Will they be able to contain Thatcher's hitters?

Thatcher couldn't quite get it done against Safford in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 14-9. Can Thatcher avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.