The Higley Knights will venture away from home to take on the Mesquite Wildcats at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Higley's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Cesar Chavez 7-0. That seven run margin sets a new team best for the Knights this season.
Jet Gonzalez tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over 5.2 innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nate Kimmel, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Cam Jantz also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Higley was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .387. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in three consecutive contests.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Mesquite and Gilbert meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Thursday. Mesquite was the clear victors by a 13-6 margin over Gilbert. The result was nothing new for the Wildcats, who have now won three games by six runs or more so far this season.
Kash Rogers was a standout: he scored four runs and stole Three bases. while going 4-for-5. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Gunnar Gift was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run, four RBI, and one double.
Mesquite pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.7 runs over those games. As for Higley, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Friday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Higley hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .326. However, it's not like Mesquite struggles in that department as they've averaged .375. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
