Tanque Verde and Safford are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Hawks will head out on the road to face off against the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Tanque Verde is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.
Last Saturday, Tanque Verde got the win against Coolidge by a conclusive 17-3. Considering the Hawks have won ten games by more than six runs this season, Saturday's blowout was nothing new.
Ryan Ruskay
| 04/12/25 @ Coolidge | 8 |
| 03/20/25 vs Rincon/University | 7 |
| 04/18/24 @ Palo Verde | 5 |
| 03/25/25 @ Sahuaro | 4 |
| 04/03/24 @ Cholla | 2 |
Ryan Ruskay made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Tanque Verde got a massive performance out of Dylan Lewis, who fired off two home runs, four runs, and three RBI while going 3-for-4. That's the most RBI Lewis has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Landon Walker, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Tanque Verde lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Safford owes their pitching crew a big pat on the back after their performance on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Rio Rico 1-0. That's two games straight that the Bulldogs have won by just one run.
Rio Rico's batters probably weren't too happy with Darren Maldonado, who pitched a no hitter (he gave up four walks).
On the hitting side, Safford's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Cole Goodman, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Tanque Verde pushed their record up to 14-4-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Safford, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-7 record this season.
Safford's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tanque Verde hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .390. It's a different story for Safford, though, as they've only averaged .248. Will they be able to contain Tanque Verde's hitters?
Tanque Verde beat Safford 3-0 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
