For the second straight game, Cactus will face off against Deer Valley. The Cobras are taking a road trip to challenge the Skyhawks at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday.
Cactus is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 12 runs on Friday, they were much more limited against Deer Valley on Tuesday. They took a 7-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Skyhawks.
For Deer Valley's part, Nate Gentz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and not a single walk). Those 13 strikeouts gave Gentz a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Max Weaver was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3. That's the most stolen bases he has posted over his last 13 contests. Another player making a difference was Tyler Carr, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
The victory was the sixth in a row for Deer Valley, bringing their record up to 12-8-1. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Cactus, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 5-14 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Cactus has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Deer Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
