Youngker hasn't had much luck against Gila Ridge recently, but that could start to change on Wednesday. The Roughriders will host the Hawks at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Youngker has eight straight wins, Gila Ridge has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Youngker made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Kellis, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Roughriders' pitchers stepped up to hand the Cougars an 11-0 shutout on Monday. Considering the Roughriders have won seven contests by more than eight runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
David Molina made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
Enrique Cardenas
| 04/14/25 @ Kellis | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Buckeye | 1 |
| 02/26/25 vs South Mountain | 1 |
In other pitching news, Enrique Cardenas looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Riley Carteno was excellent, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Youngker always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .545. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Gila Ridge lost 7-1 to Cibola on Tuesday.
Gila Ridge saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Derrick Parsons, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.
Youngker pushed their record up to 12-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Gila Ridge, their loss dropped their record down to 3-16.
Youngker's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's game. The Roughriders have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Gila Ridge, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Youngker continue to outrun the ball?
Youngker suffered a grim 14-4 defeat to Gila Ridge in their previous matchup back in April of 2019. Will the Roughriders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
