The Eastmark Firebirds will face off against the ALA - Gilbert North Eagles at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Eastmark has four straight wins, ALA - Gilbert North has 26 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Wednesday, Eastmark got the win against ALA - Queen Creek by a conclusive 12-2. The Firebirds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by seven runs or more this season.
Andrea Fletcher made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Eastmark got a massive performance out of Bella Gomez, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most runs Gomez has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Addie Rice, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Meanwhile, ALA - Gilbert North lost 11-4 to Douglas on Friday.
Makenzi Ravelo was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Kiana Roberts, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Eastmark pushed their record up to 12-6 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for ALA - Gilbert North, their loss dropped their record down to 0-10.
ALA - Gilbert North's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Eastmark has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .450. It's a different story for ALA - Gilbert North, though, as they've only averaged .339. Will they be able to contain Eastmark's hitters?
Everything went Eastmark's way against ALA - Gilbert North when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Eastmark made off with a 19-3 victory. Do the Firebirds have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
