The Sunnyside Blue Devils will venture away from home to challenge the Rio Rico Hawks at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Sunnyside has five straight wins, Rio Rico has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
The home team had come away the winner the last four times Sunnyside and Rincon/University had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Blue Devils' pitcher stepped up to hand the Rangers a 13-0 shutout on Thursday. The Blue Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matches by six runs or more this season.
Arianna Garcia was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Malia Silva, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Sunnyside always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Rincon/University only posted an OBP of .125.
Meanwhile, Rio Rico lost 21-6 to Cholla on Thursday.
Emily Chao made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Mariana Santamaria was another key player, earning two runs and one stolen base.
Sunnyside's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-6-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Rio Rico, their loss dropped their record down to 3-16.
Rio Rico's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sunnyside hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .363. It's a different story for Rio Rico, though, as they've only averaged .225. Will they be able to contain Sunnyside's hitters?
Sunnyside took their victory against Rio Rico in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 16-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Devils since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
