Empire is 9-1 against Tanque Verde since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Ravens will face off against the Hawks at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Empire is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They never let Sabino get on the board and left with a 6-0 victory. The Ravens have beaten the Sabercats the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Sabercats has come to flipping the script.
Kendall Freidinger
| 05/07/25 vs Sabino | 14 |
| 05/03/25 vs Safford | 14 |
| 04/24/25 vs Sahuarita | 18 |
| 04/23/25 vs Thatcher | 7 |
| 04/21/25 @ Tanque Verde | 9 |
| + 15 more games |
The result came thanks to Kendall Freidinger's shutout, as she gave up just five hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in 20 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Abby Zsitvay was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in May of 2024. Lainey Kroeger was another key player, earning one RBI, one run, and two stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Tanque Verde came tearing into Wednesday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Guardians as they made off with a 7-0 win.
Claire Achilles was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Achilles was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mikaela Jackson, who went 3-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Sara Hoagland, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Tanque Verde was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .381. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .381 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Tanque Verde's victory was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 26-5. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Empire, their record is now 26-1.
Both Empire and Tanque Verde just can't seem to miss. The Ravens have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Tanque Verde struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Empire came up short against Tanque Verde in their previous meeting back in April, falling 5-1. Can the Ravens avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
