The Empire Ravens are taking a road trip to challenge the Safford Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Empire managed to slip by Desert View the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Ravens lost 17-2 to the Jaguars on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty ten runs in the game before, the Ravens couldn't push the score so high this time.
Empire saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brady Carey, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Safford, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Walden Grove on Thursday as they made off with a 12-2 victory. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by nine runs or more this season.
Dylan Broderick made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching five innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Cole Goodman was incredible, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. Carlos Arbizo was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Safford always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .613. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Empire's defeat was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 7-10. As for Safford, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Empire came out on top in a nail-biter against Safford in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 8-7. Will the Ravens repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
