Prospectors
| 03/25/25 vs Seton Catholic | 3 |
| 03/21/25 @ Florence | 4 |
| 03/18/25 vs Coolidge | 13 |
| 03/17/25 vs Poston Butte | 8 |
| 03/11/25 vs Palo Verde | 16 |
| + 6 more games |
The Apache Junction Prospectors will face off against the Snowflake Lobos at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. Apache Junction is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Apache Junction is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Seton Catholic just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Tuesday. They lost 9-3 to the Sentinels.
Apache Junction saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Rhett Ruiz, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Snowflake had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Tuesday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 7-6 W against the Roadrunners.
Skip Bawden and Kyler Matthews made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Bawden struck out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Matthews tossed 2.1 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 hits in four consecutive appearances. At bat, Bawden scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4, while Matthews went 2-for-5 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That home run marked the first that Matthews launched this season.
In other batting news, Aaden Coor was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one double. Jaxon Merrill was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Snowflake's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 8-1. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Apache Junction, their loss was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 6-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Apache Junction has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Snowflake struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Apache Junction beat Snowflake 5-2 in their previous matchup back in March of 2018. Will Apache Junction repeat their success, or does Snowflake has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
