The Benjamin Franklin Chargers will challenge the Tonopah Valley Phoenix at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Tonopah Valley took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Benjamin Franklin, who comes in off a win.
Benjamin Franklin is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Payson 16-5 on Tuesday. The Chargers haven't had any issues with the Longhorns recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Paolo Baca made a splash no matter where he played. He tossed 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. He is becoming a predictor of Benjamin Franklin's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is undefeated (and 4-9-1 when he doesn't). Baca was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, David Gonzalez looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Benjamin Franklin: the team is 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-7-1 otherwise.
Talan Speir
| 04/15/25 @ Payson | 2 |
| 04/12/25 vs Mogollon | 2 |
| 04/05/25 @ Page | 2 |
| 03/01/25 vs Winslow | 2 |
| 04/10/25 @ Round Valley | 1 |
| + 8 more games |
Back at the plate, Benjamin Franklin let Talan Speir and Matthew Economou run wild. Speir went 2-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Economou scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. Benjamin Franklin is 3-1 when Speir posts two or more runs, but 6-8-1 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Jacob Moran, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Benjamin Franklin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Tonopah Valley was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker at the hands of ALA - West Foothills.
Tonopah Valley's loss dropped their record down to 9-8-1. As for Benjamin Franklin, the win got them back to even at 9-9-1.
Benjamin Franklin took their victory against Tonopah Valley in their previous matchup back in March of 2016 by a conclusive 14-1 score. Do the Chargers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Phoenix turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
