The Horizon Honors Eagles will challenge the Arizona Lutheran Academy Coyotes at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Horizon Honors has eight straight wins, Arizona Lutheran Academy has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Horizon Honors is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arizona's top teams: Heritage Academy, who was ranked 24th at the time (Horizon Honors was ranked 17th). The Eagles put the hurt on the Heroes with a sharp 13-7 victory on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won ten contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Audriana Anglada
| 04/16/25 @ Heritage Academy | 6 |
| 04/14/25 vs ALA - Anthem South | 6 |
| 04/12/25 vs Joseph City | 5 |
Audriana Anglada spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and two unearned) runs on four hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Horizon Honors got a massive performance out of Nicole Topete, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, four runs, and three RBI. That's the most runs Topete has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Josie Barden, who got on base in all five of her plate appearances with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Horizon Honors kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in 12 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Arizona Lutheran Academy didn't have quite enough to beat Scottsdale Christian Academy on Wednesday and fell 14-13.
Ella Peltzer made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Delaney Humbert, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Horizon Honors' win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Arizona Lutheran Academy, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-7.
Arizona Lutheran Academy's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Horizon Honors has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Arizona Lutheran Academy, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Horizon Honors' sizable advantage in that area, the Coyotes will need to find a way to close that gap.
Horizon Honors took their win against Arizona Lutheran Academy when the teams last played on April 1st by a conclusive 16-0 score. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Coyotes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
