vs
| 03/21/24 - Away | 9-5 W |
| 04/17/23 - Home | 1-4 L |
| 03/14/22 - Away | 24-1 W |
| 04/29/21 - Home | 10-3 W |
| 03/13/20 - Away | 10-2 W |
| + 5 more games |
Walden Grove has gone 9-1 against Empire recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Walden Grove Red Wolves will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Empire Ravens at 4:00 p.m. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Walden Grove will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Saturday, then bounced right back against Flowing Wells on Tuesday. Everything went Walden Grove's way against Flowing Wells as Walden Grove made off with an 11-3 victory. The Red Wolves haven't had any issues with the Caballeros recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Walden Grove got a great performance from Sebastian Gallardo as he tossed 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits.
At the plate, Angel Armenta was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Marcus Baray, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Walden Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Flowing Wells only posted a batting average of .267.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Empire, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They blew past Coolidge 12-2 on Tuesday.
Evan Walker tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, Zackary Breinlinger was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Adam Armstrong, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Walden Grove's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Empire, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Walden Grove has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .496. However, it's not like Empire struggles in that department as they've averaged .475. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Walden Grove was able to grind out a solid win over Empire in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 9-5. Will Walden Grove repeat their success, or does Empire have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
