Baseball Game Preview: Douglas Bulldogs vs. Thatcher Eagles

The Douglas Bulldogs will venture away from home to face off against the Thatcher Eagles at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Douglas is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.

Douglas' pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 1-0 win over Rio Rico. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Isidro Hoyos

Earned Runs

03/28/25 vs Mica Mountain	6
04/02/25 @ Sahuarita	2
03/21/25 vs Casa Grande	2
03/13/25 vs Tanque Verde	2

Isidro Hoyos made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Douglas is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-8-1 otherwise. Hoyos was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two doubles. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high.

Hoyos wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Trase Rodriguez, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that Rodriguez hit this season.

Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Thatcher took on Tanque Verde on Thursday. The Eagles took a 12-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hawks. The Eagles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Douglas' win bumped their record up to 10-8-1. As for Thatcher, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-10.

Douglas was able to grind out a solid victory over Thatcher in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 9-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.