Baseball Game Preview: Empire Ravens vs. Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks

The Empire Ravens will challenge the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Empire is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.

Empire will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Wednesday, then bounced right back against Safford on Friday. The Ravens walked away with a 12-9 win over the Bulldogs. The Ravens have beaten the Bulldogs the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Bulldogs has come to flipping the script.

Micah Tiggas

Runs

04/04/25 @ Safford	2
03/28/25 vs Willcox	2
03/20/25 vs St. Augustine Catholic	2
03/18/25 vs Tombstone	2
03/12/25 vs Mountain View	2
+ 5 more games

Micah Tiggas was incredible, going 4-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Empire: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-8 otherwise. Adam Armstrong was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.

Tiggas wasn't the only one making solid contact: Empire kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. The Ravens are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Meanwhile, Ironwood Ridge had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Casa Grande a 2-0 shutout on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Nighthawks have posted since March 10th.

Ironwood Ridge's win bumped their record up to 13-6. As for Empire, their victory bumped their record up to 8-10.

Empire suffered a grim 9-3 defeat to Ironwood Ridge when the teams last played back in February of 2016. Will the Ravens have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.