Baseball Game Preview: Maricopa Rams vs. Cholla Chargers

The Maricopa Rams are packing up and heading out on the road for their first away game this season: they will face off against the Cholla Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.

Maricopa fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against McClintock on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Chargers by a score of 5-4. Rams fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Chargers since on Tuesday.

Will Hawkins put in work no matter where he played. He tossed five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Hawkins was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March of 2024.

Travis Varela

Stolen Base

03/04/25 vs McClintock	3
03/01/25 vs Mesa	1
02/28/25 vs Apache Junction	2
02/27/25 vs ALA - Gilbert North	2

In other batting news, Travis Varela made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored three runs and stole Three bases. while going 3-for-4. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Connor Jackson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.

Meanwhile, Cholla earned a 7-2 win over Tanque Verde on Tuesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Chargers.

Like Maricopa, Cholla also got a great game from a two-way player: Raymond Molina. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. That's the fewest hits Molina has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while going 2-for-3.

In other batting news, Carlos Alvarez was a standout: he scored a run while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jesus Martinez, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

Cholla's record is now 2-0. As for Maricopa, they now have a losing record of 2-3.