The Deer Valley Skyhawks will take on the Peoria Panthers at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Deer Valley has seven straight victories, Peoria has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Thursday, Deer Valley beat Cactus 8-4.
Deer Valley got a great performance from Gaven McDonald as he tossed 6.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits.
At the plate, Marqelo Douglas was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. Hunter Metz was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Deer Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Peoria and Agua Fria had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Panthers lost 17-2 to the Owls on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Panthers have suffered against the Owls since March 5, 2015.
Diego Zamora made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Deer Valley's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-8-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Peoria, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-10.
Peoria's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Deer Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .328. It's a different story for Peoria, though, as they've only averaged .233. Will they be able to contain Deer Valley's hitters?
Everything went Deer Valley's way against Peoria when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Deer Valley made off with a 10-0 win. Do the Skyhawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
