Highland is 2-8 against Queen Creek since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. Highland will venture away from home to challenge Queen Creek at 3:45 p.m. Highland will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Highland gave up the first runs on Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. Everything went their way against Valley Vista as Highland made off with a 13-5 victory. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Peyton Gill
| 03/28/25 @ Valley Vista | 2 |
| 03/22/25 vs Highlands Ranch | 0 |
| 03/17/25 vs Cesar Chavez | 1 |
Peyton Gill looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. 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, Trace McDonald was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Those hits were his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Beau Tarwater, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Highland hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Valley Vista struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, Queen Creek faced Red Mountain in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Queen Creek skirted past Red Mountain 3-2. That's two games straight that the Bulldogs have won by just one run.
Queen Creek also got a great performance from Brayden Kitmitto as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jet Berry, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Alex Gamboa, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Highland is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. The victory made it two in a row for Queen Creek and bumps their season record up to 8-3.
Highland couldn't quite get it done against Queen Creek when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 12-9. Can Highland avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
