The Tolleson Wolverines will face off against the Mesa Jackrabbits at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Tolleson has nine straight victories, Mesa has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Tolleson's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Thursday's struggle, when West Point hitters got past them. The Wolverines were the clear victors by a 19-12 margin over the Dragons on Thursday. The Wolverines might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 19 games by six runs or more this season.
Mayrin Acuna tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 6.1 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Emily Araiza was a standout: she went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Adamariz Padilla, who went 2-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Tolleson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .477. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .379 or higher in nine consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Mesa fell victim to Red Mountain and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They came up short against the Mountain Lions, falling 21-0. Having soared to a lofty 16 runs in the game before, the Jackrabbits' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Tolleson pushed their record up to 24-5 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Mesa, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-13.
Mesa's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tolleson has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Mesa, though, as they've been averaging 12.6 hits. Given Tolleson's sizable advantage in that area, the Jackrabbits will need to find a way to close that gap.
Tolleson took their win against Mesa in their previous matchup back in April of 2018 by a conclusive 19-3 score. Do the Wolverines have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Jackrabbits turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
