Sunrise Mountain and Centennial are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2021, but likely not for long. The Mustangs will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Coyotes at 3:45 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Sunrise Mountain headed into their last game having not scored more than two runs for five straight, but Kellis let them put that streak behind them. The Mustangs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Cougars a 21-0 shutout on Wednesday. That 21 run margin sets a new team best for the Mustangs this season.
Dominick Santalucia
| 04/02/25 vs Kellis | 9 |
| 03/19/25 vs Saguaro | 4 |
| 03/18/24 vs Beggs | 4 |
| 02/28/25 vs Mingus | 3 |
| 03/01/25 vs Canyon View | 2 |
Dominick Santalucia made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Jake Pacimeo was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Logan Guilford was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
Sunrise Mountain was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .483. They are 5-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Centennial entered their tilt with Sunrise Mountain on Tuesday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They put the hurt on the Mustangs with a sharp 11-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Coyotes, who have now won six matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Like Sunrise Mountain, Centennial also got a great game from a two-way player: Cohen Baack. He struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Baack has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on David Daniels, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. Another player making a difference was William Strand, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Centennial's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Sunrise Mountain, their victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-3 and their overall record up to 11-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sunrise Mountain has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Sunrise Mountain might still be hurting after the 11-1 loss they got from Centennial when the teams last played on Tuesday. Will the Mustangs have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
