The Paradise Honors Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Goldwater Bulldogs at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Paradise Honors will be looking to extend their current ten-game winning streak.
Paradise Honors proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 17) and on Monday they proved they can win the close ones too. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over Cactus. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since March 4th.
Olivia Jimenez Facio spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Ashlyn Elliott was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. That stolen base marked the first that she snagged this season.
Meanwhile, Goldwater was able to grind out a solid victory over Agua Fria on Friday, taking the game 13-9. The Bulldogs haven't had any issues with the Owls recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Micaela De La Torre made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over 6.1 innings while giving up four earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits. De La Torre was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Goldwater let Johanna Hampton and Avrie White run wild. Hampton went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI, while White scored four runs and stole four bases while going 4-for-4. That's the most stolen bases White has posted since back in April of 2024. Faith Pederson was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Goldwater kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Paradise Honors pushed their record up to 13-7 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.7 runs over those games. As for Goldwater, their record now sits at 4-9.
Goldwater's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Paradise Honors has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10 hits per game. It's a different story for Goldwater, though, as they've been averaging 11.3 hits. Given Paradise Honors' sizable advantage in that area, the Bulldogs will need to find a way to close that gap.
Paradise Honors took their victory against Goldwater when the teams last played back in March of 2022 by a conclusive 20-0 score. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
