The Cactus Shadows Falcons are taking a road trip to take on the Coconino Panthers at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Cactus Shadows' pitching crew has only allowed 2.3 runs per game this season, so Coconino's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Wednesday, Cactus Shadows beat Saguaro 5-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Falcons.
Grayson Headon
| 04/02/25 vs Saguaro | 9 |
| 03/27/25 @ Arcadia | 6 |
| 03/21/25 vs Eastmark | 9 |
| 03/17/25 vs Putnam City | 7 |
| 03/04/25 @ Thunderbird | 5 |
| 02/26/25 vs Chaparral | 6 |
Grayson Headon spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Evan Hanish, who went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Konerko, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Coconino came into Monday's match having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Mohave on Monday. The Panthers not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since February 27th.
Coconino let Ty Sevier and Corbin Derr run wild. Sevier fired off two home runs and four RBI while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances, while Derr went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave Derr a new career-high. Jake Hanley also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Coconino was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Cactus Shadows' win was their ninth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-1-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Coconino, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 5-9-1.
Cactus Shadows skirted past Coconino 9-7 when the teams last played back in April of 2016. Will the Falcons repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
