The Thunderbird Titans will face off against the Shadow Mountain Matadors at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Thunderbird is coming into the match on a six-game losing streak.
Thunderbird couldn't beat Mesquite on Friday even though they stacked four runs on them in the fifth inning. The Titans lost 21-5 to the Wildcats.
Lily Rakich was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Shadow Mountain came out on top against Moon Valley on Thursday thanks in part to the team's impressive 11-run fourth inning. The Matadors put the hurt on the Rockets with a sharp 18-3 victory. Considering the Matadors have won seven games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Casey Evans made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI.
In other batting news, Shadow Mountain got a massive performance out of Ava Maroulis, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with five runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those five runs gave Maroulis a new career-high. Alayna Estrada was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Shadow Mountain always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .698. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Moon Valley only posted an OBP of .320.
Thunderbird's defeat dropped their record down to 12-10. As for Shadow Mountain, their win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Thunderbird has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Shadow Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Thunderbird's way against Shadow Mountain when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Thunderbird made off with a 19-2 victory. Do the Titans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Matadors turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
