Empire was the 8-2 winner over Thatcher when they last played one another back in March of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The Empire Ravens fell 4-1 to the Thatcher Eagles on Wednesday. Empire has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Ian Lemus put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also only allowed one walk). Lemus has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Lemus was also big at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
In other pitching news, RJ Friend was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits.
Even though they lost, Empire didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with 12 strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Thatcher only tossed six.
On Thatcher's side, Landon Rios spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up six Ks.
On the hitting side, Landon Duncan was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Empire's defeat dropped their record down to 8-12. As for Thatcher, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 9-8-1.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Empire will take on Willcox at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Thatcher, they will be playing at home against Sahuarita at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
