The Del Sol Dragons will head out to take on the Cheyenne Desert Shields at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Del Sol will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Saturday, then bounced right back against Valley on Monday. Del Sol put the hurt on Valley with a sharp 11-1 win. Considering the Dragons' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Tony Luna was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. That stolen base was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryan Sanchez, who scored a run and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Cheyenne put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Pinecrest Academy Cadence a 17-0 shutout. Considering the Desert Shields have won four contests by more than 11 runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Taven Thaker made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Thaker was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Cheyenne got a massive performance out of Alex Garcia, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. The dominant performance gave Garcia a new career-high in RBI. Another player making a difference was Esai Esparza, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Cheyenne always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .704. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pinecrest Academy Cadence only posted an OBP of .111.
Cheyenne's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-0. As for Del Sol, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Del Sol has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cheyenne struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Del Sol couldn't quite get it done against Cheyenne in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 as they fell 12-7. Can Del Sol avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
