Verrado had lost three straight on the road, but on Saturday they dropped down to 19-7-1 to make it four. They fell just short of the Nogales Apaches by a score of 9-8. The Vipers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Apaches apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in May of 2022.
Cole Cassidy and Zach Mermis did some serious damage despite the final result: Cassidy went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one triple, while Mermis got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Tichenor, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI.
As for Nogales, they are on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 18 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 20-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games.
On Nogales' side, Manny DelaCruz tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. DelaCruz has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Nico Bernal and Juan Pablo Tapia did most of the damage at the plate: Bernal went 2-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one double, while Tapia went 3-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits Tapia has posted since back in April of 2025. Another player making a difference was Xaciel Garcia, who went 2-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Verrado does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Nogales, they will head out to square off against Catalina Foothills at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. The Apaches' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Falcons have averaged an impressive 8.2 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
