The Gilbert Christian Knights will take on the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Gilbert Christian's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Bourgade Catholic as they made off with a 10-0 win. The victory was nothing new for the Knights as they're now sitting on three straight.
The team relied heavily on Tyler Burr, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Dane Coyle, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Yuma Catholic entered their tilt with ALA - West Foothills on Tuesday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They blew past the Guardians 11-1.
Hiram Silva spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Erik Topete was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Leonel Avelar was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Yuma Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as ALA - West Foothills only posted an OBP of .200.
Yuma Catholic's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Gilbert Christian, their win bumped their record up to 12-7.
Wednesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Gilbert Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .356. However, it's not like Yuma Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .430. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Gilbert Christian suffered a grim 30-0 defeat to Yuma Catholic when the teams last played back in March of 2016. Will the Knights have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
