The Desert Mountain Wolves are taking a road trip to face off against the Verrado Vipers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Verrado took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Desert Mountain, who comes in off a win.
While Desert Mountain's win against Boulder Creek wasn't quite the blowout they won the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Desert Mountain sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 victory over Boulder Creek on Saturday. That's two games straight that the Wolves have won by exactly two runs.
Arnav Akula looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Desert Mountain let Zach Durben and Everrett Hagan run wild. Durben scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3, while Hagan scored two runs while going 3-for-3. Those stolen bases were Durben's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Quentin Starbuck, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Verrado scored first but ultimately less than Highland in their game on Friday. They took an 11-7 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hawks. The loss was the Vipers' first of the season.
Bode Acton was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Colton Zacher, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
The win made it two in a row for Desert Mountain and bumps their season record up to 3-2. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of two runs across that stretch. As for Verrado, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 1-1-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Desert Mountain has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Verrado struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Desert Mountain skirted past Verrado 4-2 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Will Desert Mountain repeat their success, or does Verrado have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
