The Salpointe Catholic Lancers are taking a road trip to face off against the Nogales Apaches at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Salpointe Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Nogales' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
While Salpointe Catholic's victory against Rio Rico wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Lancers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over the Hawks on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Lancers in their matchups with the Hawks: they've now won four in a row.
Adan Koch Rodriguez
| 04/23/25 vs Rio Rico | 4 |
| 03/05/25 @ Arcadia | 3 |
| 04/16/25 vs Bakersfield Christian | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Yuma | 1 |
Adan Koch Rodriguez looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four).
At the plate, Paul Saffer was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one triple. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had over his last 11 matches. Another player making a difference was Aciel Guillen, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Nogales made easy work of Pueblo on Thursday and carried off a 12-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Apaches, who have now won eight games by six runs or more so far this season.
Josiah Bracamonte looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Diego Gomez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two doubles. Danny Cerezo was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Nogales lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Salpointe Catholic pushed their record up to 20-3-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home. The team dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 7.1 runs. As for Nogales, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-8-1 record this season.
Salpointe Catholic took their win against Nogales in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 16-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lancers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
