Baseball Recap: Needles Beats Awaken Christian for Their Fifth Straight Victory

Mustangs

Previous 5 Games

03/21/25 vs Awaken Christian	14-1
03/21/25 @ Awaken Christian	16-0
03/18/25 @ Pahrump Valley	10-6
03/08/25 @ Chinle	14-3
03/07/25 @ Mohave	10-0

Needles had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They put the hurt on the Awaken Christian Lions with a sharp 14-1 victory. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 16-0 on Friday.

Holden Jones and Brayden Baca made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Jones pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Baca pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits Jones has allowed since back in May of 2024. At bat, Jones scored two runs while going 1-for-3, while Baca scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Baca is becoming a predictor of Needles' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-5-1 when he doesn't).

In other batting news, Robert Tapia was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one double. He has become a key player for Needles: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5-1 otherwise. Hudson Smith was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.

Needles kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.5 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 9.6.

Needles' win bumped their record up to 7-5-1. As for Awaken Christian, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 4-2.

Looking ahead, Needles will take on Lincoln County at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Lincoln County has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 12.4 runs per game on average), something Needles will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Awaken Christian, a feisty cat fight will be fought as Awaken Christian Lions face off against Laughlin Cougars at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. They are facing Laughlin at the right time seeing as Laughlin is stuck on a four-game losing streak.