Yuma has won 15 straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Desert Sunrise has won 15 straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Thursday. The Criminals will welcome the Golden Hawks at 3:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Yuma got the win against Tempe by a conclusive 14-1.
Ethen Schmidgall looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk).
Jaime Ruelas
| 04/23/25 vs Tempe | 3 |
| 04/21/25 @ Tempe | 2 |
| 04/14/25 vs Westview | 2 |
| 04/08/25 @ Dysart | 2 |
| 03/01/25 vs Jefferson | 2 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaime Ruelas, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Andres Ortiz, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Yuma was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .519. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .370 or higher in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Desert Sunrise). They were the clear victors by a 21-2 margin over Coronado on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest victory of the season.
Ivan Zamora and Leander Vale were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Zamora tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. Meanwhile, Vale tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Desert Sunrise is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5-1 otherwise. At bat, Zamora went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple, while Vale went 1-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Desert Sunrise let Nick Crawford and Alexander Vale run wild. Crawford went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI, while Vale went 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Another player making a difference was Brayden Tracy, who went 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Yuma is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-5-1 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Desert Sunrise, their victory bumped their record up to 9-5-1.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Yuma hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .364. However, it's not like Desert Sunrise struggles in that department as they've averaged .332. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Yuma came out on top in a nail-biter against Desert Sunrise in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 1-0. Will the Criminals repeat their success, or do the Golden Hawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
