The Palo Verde Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Durango Trailblazers at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Palo Verde sitting on four straight victories and Durango on 15.
Last Saturday, Palo Verde beat The Meadows School 7-3.
Branson Pullan looked comfortable as he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Tanner Johns and Ethan Clauss did most of the damage at the plate: Johns scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Clauss scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Luke Herrera was another key contributor, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Durango put the finishing touches on their 17th blowout victory of the season on Monday. They put the hurt on Western with a sharp 10-0 win. That's two games straight that Durango has won by exactly ten runs.
Blake Goudie made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Goudie was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jayden Shuford, who went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Gabe Capitini, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Palo Verde is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 19-10 record this season. As for Durango, their victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-6.
Tuesday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Palo Verde hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .383. However, it's not like Durango struggles in that department as they've averaged .393. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Palo Verde skirted past Durango 6-5 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Durango's Austin Bartolotta, who struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off ten hits (and not a single walk). Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Palo Verde to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
