The Las Vegas Wildcats will square off against the Palo Verde Panthers at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Las Vegas is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Las Vegas is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Centennial, sneaking past 5-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.
TANNER VIBABUL was excellent, going 1-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March. JUSTIN ROMERO was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Palo Verde faced Bishop Gorman in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over the Gaels.
Tanner Johns spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Palo Verde saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Herrera, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Las Vegas' win bumped their record up to 22-10. As for Palo Verde, they have been performing well recently as they've won nine of their last 12 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 23-9 record this season.
Palo Verde's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Las Vegas has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Palo Verde, though, as they've been averaging only 3.5 strikeouts. Will Las Vegas keep running through batters, or will the Panthers buck the trend?
Las Vegas suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Palo Verde in their previous matchup back in March. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
