The Santa Cruz Valley Dust Devils will venture away from home to take on the Benson Bobcats at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Santa Cruz Valley will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Thursday, then bounced right back against Arizona Lutheran Academy on Monday. The Dust Devils blew past the Coyotes 19-1. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Dust Devils' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Layla Brown made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. What's more, she posted three RBI, the most she's had since back in March.
Alyssa Flores
| 04/14/25 @ Arizona Lutheran Academy | 3 |
| 03/26/25 @ ALA - Anthem South | 1 |
| 03/24/25 @ Gilbert Classical Academy | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Dobson | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Benson | 1 |
In other batting news, Santa Cruz Valley got a massive performance out of Alyssa Flores, who went 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBI. Those three hits gave Flores a new career-high. Melody Cade was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Benson made sure to put some runs up on the board against Pima on Monday. The Bobcats put the hurt on the Roughriders with a sharp 21-4 victory.
Benson let Millie Kellogg and Sadie Webb run wild. Kellogg scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4, while Webb scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Kaylei Taylor, who went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Benson kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 18 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Santa Cruz Valley pushed their record up to 11-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Benson, the win got them back to even at 11-11.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Santa Cruz Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .413. However, it's not like Benson struggles in that department as they've averaged .368. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Santa Cruz Valley was able to grind out a solid victory over Benson in their previous meeting back in March, winning 7-3. Do the Dust Devils have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bobcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
