The Sunnyside Blue Devils are taking a road trip to square off against the Walden Grove Red Wolves at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Sunnyside is coming into the match hot, having won their last six games.
Sunnyside's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Rio Rico as they made off with an 8-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Blue Devils, who have now won eight games by seven runs or more so far this season.
DOMINIC THOMPSON looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, EMRICK THOMPSON was a standout: he went 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of MICHEL MUNIZ, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two doubles, and one run.
Sunnyside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .348 or higher in six consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Walden Grove, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They walked away with a 9-5 victory over Ironwood Ridge on Wednesday.
Javy Lopez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Walden Grove let Vaughn Sexton and Angel Armenta run wild. Sexton went a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run, while Armenta went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Armenta is becoming a predictor of Walden Grove's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1 (and 6-9 when he doesn't). Marcus Baray was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Sunnyside pushed their record up to 16-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Walden Grove, their record now sits at 12-10.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Sunnyside has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .436. However, it's not like Walden Grove struggles in that department as they've averaged .442. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
