Softball Game Preview: Sabino Sabercats vs. Thatcher Eagles

Sabino has gone a perfect 3-0 against Thatcher recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Sabercats will face off against the Eagles at 3:45 p.m. Sabino is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.

While Sabino's victory against Tanque Verde wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Sabercats' pitcher stepped up to hand the Hawks a 1-0 shutout on Tuesday.

Avery Nielson

Batters Struck Out

04/15/25 vs Tanque Verde	17
04/11/25 @ Ironwood Ridge	15
04/08/25 vs Empire	11
04/01/25 vs Safford	12

Not much got past Avery Nielson, who gave up just three hits and racked up 17 Ks to keep Tanque Verde off the board. Nielson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than 11 strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Mia Acosta, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.

Meanwhile, Thatcher came into Wednesday's match having lost five straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They had just enough and edged out Douglas 3-1.

Sabino has been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Thatcher, their victory bumped their record up to 10-12.

Sabino beat Thatcher 7-4 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Sabercats since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.