The Chinle Wildcats will be taking part in a tournament against the Payson Longhorns at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. One thing working in Chinle's favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three contests.
Chinle is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Window Rock with a sharp 19-1 win on Wednesday. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by ten runs or more this season.
Hage Tsosie and Mackaden Arthur made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Tsosie pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Arthur tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Tsosie has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. At bat, Tsosie scored three runs and stole four bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances, while Arthur went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI Arthur has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Kaleb Guy was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Sonne Begay, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Chinle always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .718. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Payson had to endure a five-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against ALA - Ironwood by a score of 9-5 on Monday.
Nathan Tsosie looked comfortable as he tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Payson: the team is undefeated when he allows at most one hit, but 6-7 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hunter Hoff, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Payson is undefeated when Hoff posts two or more runs, but 6-7 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Landon Hansen, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Chinle is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Payson, their win bumped their record up to 9-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Chinle has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Chinle couldn't quite get it done against Payson in their previous meeting back in April of 2018 as they fell 4-0. Will the Wildcats have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
