Baseball Game Preview: Cibola Raiders vs. Gila Ridge Hawks

Cibola and Gila Ridge are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2021, but likely not for long. The Raiders will host the Hawks at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Cibola's pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Gila Ridge's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Last Friday, Cibola needed a bit of extra time to put away Estrella Foothills. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Wolves, sneaking past 3-2. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Raiders.

Rodrigo Orozco Araiza

Base on Balls Against

03/28/25 vs Estrella Foothills	2
03/24/25 @ Yuma	1
03/17/25 @ San Luis	2
03/04/25 vs Boulder Creek	1

Rodrigo Orozco Araiza made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched eight innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one triple and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.

Orozco Araiza wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Isaac Lopez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4.

Meanwhile, Gila Ridge came up short against Cathedral Prep on Friday and fell 8-4. That's two games in a row now that the Hawks have lost by exactly four runs.

Cibola's victory bumped their record up to 8-5. As for Gila Ridge, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 2-12.