The Maricopa Rams will challenge the Catalina Foothills Falcons at 6:15 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Thursday, Maricopa earned a 5-2 win over Mountain View. The Rams haven't had any issues with the Mountain Lions recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Sebastian Lopez
| 03/27/25 @ Pusch Ridge Christian Academy | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs Apache Junction | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Mountain View | 1 |
| 03/20/25 vs Pueblo | 1 |
| 03/11/25 vs ALA - Queen Creek | 1 |
Sebastian Lopez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Maricopa is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 4-9 otherwise. Lopez was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in February.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Will Hawkins, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Catalina Foothills ultimately got the result they hoped for on Friday. They had just enough and edged out Mica Mountain 3-2. Winning may never get old, but the Falcons sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Like Maricopa, Catalina Foothills also got a great game from a two-way player: Ganon Dwyer. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over five innings pitched. Dwyer was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Dwyer wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nate Shoemaker, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI. Cooper Kruk also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Catalina Foothills pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Maricopa, their win bumped their record up to 6-10.
Maricopa suffered a grim 15-1 defeat to Catalina Foothills when the teams last played back in March of 2015. Can the Rams avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
