Baseball Game Preview: Shadow Mountain Matadors vs. North Canyon Rattlers

The Shadow Mountain Matadors will square off against the North Canyon Rattlers at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.

Thunderbird hit Shadow Mountain with a seven-run sixth inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Matadors came up short against the Titans, falling 16-6. The loss continues a trend for the Matadors in their meetings with the Titans: they've now lost six in a row.

Gavin Lieske

Runs Batted In

04/22/25 @ Thunderbird	3
04/17/25 vs Moon Valley	3
03/21/25 @ Coronado	3
02/27/25 vs Cortez	3
03/18/25 vs Paradise Honors	2
+ 2 more games

Gavin Lieske made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double. He has become a key player for Shadow Mountain: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least three RBI, but 6-13-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jack Zauner, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, North Canyon lost 8-1 to Youngker on Thursday. The Rattlers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

North Canyon saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was JORGE CORDERO, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

North Canyon's defeat dropped their record down to 9-14. As for Shadow Mountain, their loss dropped their record down to 9-14-1.

Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Shadow Mountain hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. However, it's not like North Canyon struggles in that department as they've averaged .319. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.