The Tanque Verde Hawks will face off against the Chandler Prep Titans at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Chandler Prep will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Tanque Verde extended their winning streak to eight on Thursday. The Hawks blew past Safford 12-4.
Landon Walker and Santino Celani made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Walker tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. Meanwhile, Celani didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Walker has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Walker fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3, while Celani went 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one run. That's the most hits Celani has posted since back in February.
Rocco Haggard
| 04/16/26 vs Safford | 2 |
| 04/14/26 @ Sabino | 1 |
| 03/24/26 vs Sahuaro | 1 |
| 03/23/26 vs Benson | 1 |
| 03/14/26 vs Rio Rico | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Rocco Haggard, who fired off two home runs, five RBI, and one double while going 3-for-4. Those two home runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Braden Guest, who went 1-for-4 with one triple and two RBI.
Tanque Verde was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Chandler Prep made easy work of North Valley Christian Academy on Wednesday and carried off a 24-5 victory.
Like Tanque Verde, Chandler Prep also got a great game from a two-way player: Derek Tucker. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Tucker was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Ryan Hong was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, five RBI, and two doubles. Isaac Swanson was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Chandler Prep's win bumped their record up to 11-6. As for Tanque Verde, their victory bumped their record up to 16-4-2.
Saturday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Tanque Verde hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .394. However, it's not like Chandler Prep struggles in that department as they've averaged .325. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
