The Cibola Raiders will head out to challenge the Highland Hawks at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Cibola has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Cibola played in-conference for the first time on Thursday and got just the result they were looking for. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Gila Ridge 3-1. The game was the first time the Raiders have beaten the Hawks on their field since March 15, 2024.
Isaac Lopez made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Lopez wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Alfredo Lugo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Highland's offense. They fell just short of Higley by a score of 2-0 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Hawks have suffered since March 25th.
Cibola has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Highland, they dropped their record down to 11-9 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
