The Tanque Verde Hawks will head out to face off against the Douglas Bulldogs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Tanque Verde took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand San Tan Foothills a 14-0 shutout. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Hawks considering their two-run performance the contest before.
The result came thanks to Santino Celani's shutout, as he gave up just two hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Tanque Verde saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Ruskay, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. What's more, Ruskay posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Landon Walker was another, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Tanque Verde always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as San Tan Foothills only posted an OBP of .118.
Meanwhile, Douglas had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. Everything went their way against the Warriors as they made off with a 12-4 victory. Considering the Bulldogs have won four games by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Christopher Escarcega was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That home run was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Emiliano Fimbres, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Tanque Verde's record is now 4-1-1. As for Douglas, their record now sits at 5-1.
Friday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Tanque Verde has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .620. However, it's not like Douglas struggles in that department as they've averaged .482. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tanque Verde took their win against Douglas when the teams last played back in April of 2022 by a conclusive 14-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tanque Verde since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
