Baseball Game Preview: Carl Hayden Community Falcons vs. Central Bobcats

For the second straight game, Carl Hayden Community will face off against Central. The Falcons will take on the Bobcats at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Carl Hayden Community has three straight wins, Central has 13 straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Carl Hayden Community will bounce into Thursday's contest after beating Central, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Falcons' pitcher stepped up to hand the Bobcats a 16-0 shutout on Tuesday. Considering the Falcons have won five games by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Eric Mendez

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/01/25 vs Central	7
03/06/25 vs Camelback	6
03/21/24 @ North	4
03/26/24 @ Browne	2
03/20/25 @ McClintock	1

Eric Mendez made a splash no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one home run. That home run was his first of the season.

In other batting news, Carl Hayden Community got a massive performance out of Cristian Rosas, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Rosas is also on a roll when it comes to triples, as he's now hit at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Alberto Gomez was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.

Carl Hayden Community always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .643. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Central's loss dropped their record down to 0-9. As for Carl Hayden Community, their record is now 8-3.

Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Carl Hayden Community has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. It's a different story for Central, though, as they've only averaged .324. Will they be able to contain Carl Hayden Community's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.