Bagdad has gone a perfect 5-0 against Superior recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Sultans will be playing in front of their home fans against the Panthers at 3:45 p.m. Bagdad knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past three matchups -- so hopefully Superior likes a good challenge.
Bagdad's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Monday, when they got past Kingman Academy's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Sultans walked away with a 10-6 win over the Tigers. The victory continues a trend for the Sultans in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
Rowdy Hooper
| 03/16/26 vs Kingman Academy | 8 |
| 03/09/26 @ Antelope | 1 |
| 03/03/26 @ Salome | 0 |
| 02/27/26 vs Ray | 5 |
| 05/10/25 vs Williams | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
Rowdy Hooper made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March of 2025. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one double.
Meanwhile, the third road contest was the charm for Superior, as they earned their first away win of the season. They came out on top against Miami by a score of 4-1 on Tuesday.
Ryland Duarte spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up nine Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Superior is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-3 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Antonio Lopez, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That double was his first of the season.
Bagdad's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Superior, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Superior's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Bagdad hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .351. It's a different story for Superior, though, as they've only averaged .221. Will they be able to contain Bagdad's hitters?
Bagdad got the 'W' when the teams last played back in March of 2025 against Superior by a conclusive 9-2 score. Will the Sultans repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
