Baseball Preview: Coconino Panthers vs. Goldwater Bulldogs
The Coconino Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Goldwater Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, everything went Coconino's way against Mingus as Coconino made off with a 14-6 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for Coconino.
Connor Culwell made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Culwell was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Hayden Mickelson was a standout: he went 3-for-6 with three RBI, two runs, and a triple. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Bellar, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Goldwater had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.3 runs), and they went ahead and made it five on Tuesday. They blew past the Panthers 10-4.
Like Coconino, Goldwater also got a great game from a two-way player: John Moore. On the mound, he struck out 11 batters over 6.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Moore has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Moore was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Camden White, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Xavier Martinez was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Coconino's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 10-7. As for Goldwater, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Coconino has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Goldwater struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Coconino's way against Goldwater in their previous meeting back in April of 2023 as Coconino made off with a 12-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Coconino since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
