Tanque Verde hasn't had much luck against Empire recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Hawks will face off against the Ravens at 4:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Tanque Verde is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand ALA - West Foothills a 7-0 shutout. The win was nothing new for the Hawks as they're now sitting on five straight.
Claire Achilles made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 20 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.
Mikaela Jackson
| 05/07/25 vs ALA - West Foothills | 1 |
| 05/03/25 vs River Valley | 1 |
| 04/28/25 vs Desert Christian | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mikaela Jackson, who went 3-for-4 with one home run and two runs. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Sara Hoagland, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Tanque Verde always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .559. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as ALA - West Foothills only posted an OBP of .125.
Meanwhile, Empire hadn't done well against Sabino recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Ravens blew past the Sabercats 6-0. The victory was familiar territory for the Ravens, who have now won four contests in a row.
Not much got past Kendall Freidinger, who gave up just five hits and racked up 14 Ks to keep Sabino off the board.
At the plate, Abby Zsitvay was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in May of 2024. Lainey Kroeger was another key player, earning one RBI, one run, and two stolen bases.
Tanque Verde pushed their record up to 26-5 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.4 runs over those games. As for Empire, their win bumped their record up to 26-1.
Both Tanque Verde and Empire just can't seem to miss. The Hawks have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Empire struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 2.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tanque Verde was able to grind out a solid victory over Empire in their previous meeting back in April, winning 5-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
