The Catalina Foothills Falcons will face off against the Desert View Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Catalina Foothills had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Sunnyside on Wednesday. Catalina Foothills put the hurt on Sunnyside with a sharp 11-1 win. The Falcons have beaten the Blue Devils the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Blue Devils has come to flipping the script.
Paden Good made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one triple, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nate Shoemaker, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Ganon Dwyer was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Desert View). They blew past Rincon/University 17-6 on Wednesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Jaguars with their most commanding win of the season.
Desert View got a massive performance out of Jorge Zazueta, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles. That's the most doubles Zazueta has posted since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Cristobal Lorta, who scored four runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Desert View was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in six consecutive contests.
Desert View has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. Catalina Foothills' victory bumped their record up to 8-2.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Catalina Foothills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .391. However, it's not like Desert View struggles in that department as they've averaged .374. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Catalina Foothills couldn't quite get it done against Desert View when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 4-1. Can Catalina Foothills avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
