vs
| 04/24/25 - Away | 8-3 W |
| 04/10/25 - Home | 1-0 W |
| 05/07/24 - Home | 1-0 W |
| 04/24/24 - Home | 4-9 L |
| 04/11/24 - Away | 2-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Palo Verde and Centennial are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2022, but likely not for long. The Panthers will take on the Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Palo Verde sitting on 20 straight wins and Centennial on five.
Palo Verde is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They never let Bishop Gorman get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matches by six runs or more this season.
Taylor Johns was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two doubles. That's the most hits she has posted since back in April. The team also got some help courtesy of Mya Bartlett, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI.
Palo Verde always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bishop Gorman only posted an OBP of .077.
Meanwhile, Centennial faced Shadow Ridge in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Bulldogs had just enough and edged out the Mustangs 6-5.
Sloane Merrell was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. Merrell was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Lily Fournier looked comfortable as she struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 17 consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Madden Turner was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Sydnee Smith, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Palo Verde pushed their record up to 20-0 with the win, which was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs over those games. As for Centennial, their win bumped their record up to 17-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Palo Verde hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.2 home runs per game. However, it's not like Centennial struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Palo Verde was able to grind out a solid victory over Centennial when the teams last played two weeks ago, winning 8-3. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bulldogs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
