Softball Game Preview: Empire Ravens vs. Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks

The Empire Ravens will venture away from home to face off against the Ironwood Ridge Nighthawks at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Empire is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.

Empire is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 20-0 margin over Catalina on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Ravens, who have now won 13 contests by six runs or more so far this season.

Vanessa Grijalva

Hits

04/03/25 @ Catalina	2
03/24/25 @ Florence	1
03/21/25 @ Walden Grove	1
03/13/25 vs Cienega	0
03/13/25 vs Buena	1
03/12/25 vs Vista Grande	2

Vanessa Grijalva made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. That's the most hits she has posted over her last six matches.

In other batting news, Angelina Dehler and Eva Peace did most of the damage at the plate: Dehler went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while Peace scored two runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Lainey Kroeger also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.

Empire always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .944. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Meanwhile, Ironwood Ridge fell victim to Salpointe Catholic and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They lost 10-0 to the Lancers. The Nighthawks have struggled against the Lancers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost meeting.

Empire pushed their record up to 18-0 with the win, which was their 16th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Ironwood Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 10-6.

Empire came out on top in a nail-biter against Ironwood Ridge in their previous matchup back in March of 2022, sneaking past 3-2. Do the Ravens have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Nighthawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.