Globe hasn't had much luck against Superior recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Tigers will square off against the Panthers at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Globe will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Safford, who they had gone 1-6 against in their seven prior meetings. The Tigers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bulldogs on Thursday, sneaking past 4-2.
Globe's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Braxton Tober, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Superior never got on the board in their matchup on Wednesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Ash Fork/Seligman on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over the Spartans. With that victory, the Panthers brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.
Antonio Lopez made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). Those ten strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and one RBI.
In other batting news, Superior got a massive performance out of Joel Romero, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Romero also scored two runs, which is notable because the Panthers are undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-7 otherwise. Nicholas Rabago was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Superior was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Superior now has a winning record of 8-7. As for Globe, their record now sits at 6-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Globe has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Superior struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Globe couldn't quite finish off Superior when the teams last played back in March of 2022 and fell 5-3. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
