Tonopah Valley hasn't had much luck against Odyssey Institute recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Phoenix will host the Minotaur at 3:45 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Tonopah Valley took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Arizona Lutheran Academy a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Phoenix have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Connor Hart was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He also allowed no hits, which is notable because Tonopah Valley is undefeated when he allows at most three hits, but 8-11-1 otherwise. Hart was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
Joshua Amaral
| 04/25/25 vs Arizona Lutheran Academy | 4 |
| 04/19/25 vs Parker | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ ALA - West Foothills | 1 |
| 04/11/25 @ River Valley | 1 |
| 03/22/25 @ Chino Valley | 1 |
In other batting news, Joshua Amaral was a standout: he went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Caleb Procunier, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Tonopah Valley always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .542. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Arizona Lutheran Academy only posted an OBP of .176.
Meanwhile, Odyssey Institute made easy work of Parker on Saturday and carried off a 7-1 win.
Like Tonopah Valley, Odyssey Institute also got a great game from a two-way player: Nomar Diaz. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched. Diaz was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Diaz wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Justin Bennett, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Nick DePaz was another, going 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
The victory got Tonopah Valley back to even at 11-11-1. As for Odyssey Institute, their win bumped their record up to 8-10-1.
Odyssey Institute's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tonopah Valley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .369. It's a different story for Odyssey Institute, though, as they've only averaged .214. Will they be able to contain Tonopah Valley's hitters?
Everything went Tonopah Valley's way against Odyssey Institute when the teams last played back in March, as Tonopah Valley made off with a 7-1 victory. Do the Phoenix have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Minotaur turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
