Preview: Empire Ravens vs. Safford Bulldogs
The Empire Ravens will head out on the road to challenge the Safford Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Safford took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Empire, who comes in off a win.
On Monday, Empire got themselves on the board against Palo Verde, but Palo Verde never followed suit. Everything went their way against the Titans as they made off with a 10-0 victory. That looming 10-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Empire yet this season.
Asher Bird was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Bird was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with a triple and a run.
In other pitching news, Travis Linkous looked comfortable as he tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
Back at the plate, Ben Savage was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was RJ Friend, who went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
Meanwhile, Safford unfortunately witnessed the end of their four-game winning streak on Monday. They fell 3-0 to Tanque Verde. Having soared to a lofty 21 runs in the game before, Safford's shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Dylan Broderick was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits.
Empire has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-10 record this season. As for Safford, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Empire has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Safford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Empire came out on top in a nail-biter against Safford in their previous matchup back in March of 2023, sneaking past 4-2. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Safford's Derek Nabor, who struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Empire to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
