The Maricopa Rams will face off against the ALA - Queen Creek Patriots at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Maricopa's last matchup with Casa Grande could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's matchup on Monday. Maricopa came up short against Casa Grande, falling 7-0. The loss continues a trend for the Rams in their meetings with the Cougars: they've now lost seven in a row.
Maricopa saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sebastian Lopez, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base. Brady McMullen also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, ALA - Queen Creek put another one in the bag on Monday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 16-1 margin over Mesa. Considering the Patriots have won three contests by more than seven runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Devin Sorensen made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the first time he hasn't allowed a single hit since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in both of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Seth Nielson, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Xander Mcrae, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
ALA - Queen Creek always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mesa only posted an OBP of .318.
ALA - Queen Creek's victory bumped their record up to 6-0. As for Maricopa, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Maricopa has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like ALA - Queen Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Maricopa suffered a grim 21-0 defeat to ALA - Queen Creek in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can Maricopa avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
