The Tombstone Yellow Jackets will square off against the Tanque Verde Hawks at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Tombstone has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Tanque Verde will arrive with five straight wins.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Tombstone and Bisbee meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Thursday. Tombstone fell 10-7 to Bisbee.
Brianna True made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored three runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. McKenzy Nicoll was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Tanque Verde made easy work of Sahuaro on Tuesday and carried off a 19-3 victory. Considering the Hawks have won ten matches by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Julia Pratt and Claire Achilles made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Pratt struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits (and not a single walk). Meanwhile, Achilles tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances. At the plate, Pratt went 1-for-2 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base, while Achilles went 2-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those four RBI gave Pratt a new career-high.
In other batting news, Mikaela Jackson was a standout: she fired off two home runs, four runs, and three RBI while going 4-for-5. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Remi Johnson, who scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3.
Tanque Verde hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in 11 consecutive games.
Tanque Verde's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-4. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 18.2 runs over those games. As for Tombstone, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-11.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Tombstone hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .388. However, it's not like Tanque Verde struggles in that department as they've averaged .414. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tombstone suffered a grim 20-6 defeat to Tanque Verde in their previous meeting back in March of 2016. Can Tombstone avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
