Tanque Verde are taking a road trip to challenge Rio Rico at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Tanque Verde will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Tanque Verde barely beat Pusch Ridge Christian Academy the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Hawks' pitcher stepped up to hand the Lions a 7-0 shutout on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Hawks, who have now won 12 contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Pusch Ridge Christian Academy's batters probably weren't too happy with Claire Achilles, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 17 Ks (she gave up a single walk). Achilles has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 13 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Sara Hoagland was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Ella Haggard was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Rio Rico). Everything went their way against Amphitheater on Wednesday as they made off with a 25-0 victory. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Kenia Navarro made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. She also hit a double, marking her first of the season.
In other batting news, Rio Rico got a big performance out of Ayleen Salcido, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Those two runs gave Salcido a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Andrea Loustaunau, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Rio Rico always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .775. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Tanque Verde's victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-4. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Rio Rico, the victory (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 3-9.
Rio Rico's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tanque Verde hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .404. It's a different story for Rio Rico, though, as they've only averaged .225. Will they be able to contain Tanque Verde's hitters?
Tanque Verde came out on top in a nail-biter against Rio Rico when the teams last played back in February of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Tanque Verde since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
