The Coconino Panthers will head out to take on the Mingus Marauders at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Mingus took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Coconino, who comes in off a win.
Coconino took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with an 11-6 victory over Bradshaw Mountain. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Fitz Guinan made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run. That stolen base marked the first that he has snagged this season.
In other batting news, Coconino let Jackson Clouse and Jake Hanley run wild. Clouse went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI, while Hanley went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most RBI Hanley has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Junior Stone, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Coconino always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .575. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Mingus suffered their closest loss since February 26th on Wednesday. They fell just short of Eastmark by a score of 7-5. The Marauders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kaden Pusl was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Pusl was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one triple and one run.
In other batting news, Carter Wacker was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one double. Tanner Brewer was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Coconino's record is now 8-14. As for Mingus, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-11.
