Safford and Thatcher are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Safford managed to slip by Pusch Ridge Christian Academy the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Bulldogs lost 12-6 to the Lions on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Carlos Arbizo
| 03/25/25 vs Rincon/University | 4 |
| 04/11/25 @ Benjamin Franklin | 3 |
| 04/23/25 vs Pusch Ridge Christian Academy | 2 |
| 03/21/25 vs Show Low | 2 |
| 03/04/25 @ Globe | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Carlos Arbizo made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs. He has become a key player for Safford: the team is 5-2 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 5-7 otherwise.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Thatcher faced off against Empire on Wednesday. The Eagles walked away with a 7-2 win over the Ravens. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
Paxton Echols made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Echols was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brant Duncan, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Jett Howard, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI.
Thatcher was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Empire only posted a batting average of .136.
Safford's defeat dropped their record down to 10-9. As for Thatcher, their record is now 8-12.
Safford was able to grind out a solid victory over Thatcher in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 14-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
