The Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Tempe Buffaloes at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Desert Sunrise took a 17-run defeat the last time they faced off against Cortez, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Golden Hawks narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Colts 11-9.
The team relied heavily on Atiana Fuller, who scored a run and stole five bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.3 stolen bases per game. Taliyah Manymules also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen bases of the season.
Desert Sunrise always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .600 or higher in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Tempe gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They put the hurt on Coronado with a sharp 18-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Buffaloes, who have now won 12 matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Hilana Valencia made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (three). She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she's played.
In other batting news, Maribella Rivera was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-4. What's more, she posted three RBI, the most she's had over her last eight contests. Another player making a difference was Celeste Alvarez, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Tempe has been performing well recently as they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Desert Sunrise, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-10.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Desert Sunrise has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .523. However, it's not like Tempe struggles in that department as they've averaged .586. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
