Copper Canyon is 0-3 against Central since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Copper Canyon Aztecs will look to defend their home field against the Central Bobcats at 3:45 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, everything went Copper Canyon's way against Washington as Copper Canyon made off with a 10-1 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for Copper Canyon.
Adam Gandarilla spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered one run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Copper Canyon got a massive performance out of Jesus Vega, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Ulysses Encinas, who scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Central made easy work of Sierra Linda on Wednesday and carried off an 11-1 win. That's two games straight that Central has won by exactly ten runs.
Cy Gatson was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (he also only allowed one walk). Gatson was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kevin Fagundo, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. Javier Godinez was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Copper Canyon's victory was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-4. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.6 runs per game. As for Central, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 5-9 record this season.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both team's pitchers. Copper Canyon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .355. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .371. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Copper Canyon might still be hurting after the 10-4 loss they got from Central in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Copper Canyon, Fabian Martinez (who went 4-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
