Empire is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Willcox is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Empire Ravens will take on the Willcox Cowboys at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Empire's rock-solid pitchers showed up for the team's fifth consecutive shutout on Wednesday. They never let Thatcher onto the board and left with a 14-0 victory.
Angelina Dehler and Morgan Faunce did most of the damage at the plate: Dehler went 4-for-4 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI, while Faunce went 2-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and a double. Another player making a difference was Eva Peace, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Willcox's hitters rose to the challenge against a Eagles pitching crew that boasted an average of only 2.38 points allowed on Tuesday. Everything went Willcox's way against Horizon Honors as Willcox made off with a 10-4 win.
Willcox got a massive performance out of Payton Fuentes, who went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI. Addison Burright was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Empire has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine matches, which provided a nice bump to their 16-7 record this season. As for Willcox, their victory bumped their record up to 8-9.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both team's pitchers. Empire hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .374. However, it's not like Willcox struggles in that department as they've averaged .359. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Empire took their win against Willcox in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 10-2. Does Empire have another victory up their sleeve, or will Willcox turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps