Tanque Verde and Cholla are an even 3-3 against one another since February of 2017, but likely not for long. The Tanque Verde Hawks will be playing at home against the Cholla Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Tanque Verde knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Cholla likes a good challenge.
Tanque Verde took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Everything went their way against Rincon/University as Tanque Verde made off with a 14-4 win. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won seven matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Ryan Ruskay
| 03/20/25 vs Rincon/University | 7 |
| 04/18/24 @ Palo Verde | 5 |
| 04/03/24 @ Cholla | 2 |
| 03/15/24 vs Desert View | 2 |
| 03/12/24 vs Cornerstone Christian | 2 |
Ryan Ruskay made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Tanque Verde's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Liam Brunell was excellent, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4. He has become a key player for Tanque Verde: the team is 6-1-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-3 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Dylan Lewis, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Cholla entered their game against Nogales on Tuesday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Cholla took an 8-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of Nogales. The contest marked the Chargers' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Cholla saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hector Silvain, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Tanque Verde pushed their record up to 7-4-1 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Cholla, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Tanque Verde has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .559. However, it's not like Cholla struggles in that department as they've averaged .439. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tanque Verde came up short against Cholla in their previous matchup on March 4th, falling 7-2. Will Tanque Verde have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
