The Tonopah Valley Phoenix are taking a road trip to square off against the ALA - West Foothills Guardians at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Tonopah Valley is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Tonopah Valley came into this matchup off a tough nine-run loss on Tuesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of River Valley by a score of 4-2 on Friday. The Phoenix have struggled against the Dust Devils recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost meeting.
Joaquin Rascon spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Joshua Amaral made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while going 2-for-3. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.
Meanwhile, while ALA - West Foothills put up plenty of runs on Monday, the same can't be said for Odyssey Institute. The Guardians put the hurt on the Minotaur with a sharp 12-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Guardians, who have now won seven contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Jackson Slade made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 3-for-5 with one RBI.
In other batting news, Johnny Garcia was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. ALA - West Foothills is undefeated when Garcia posts two or more runs, but 4-6 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Logan Alvarez, who went 1-for-5 with one home run and two RBI.
ALA - West Foothills kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
ALA - West Foothills is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.1 runs over those games. As for Tonopah Valley, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-7-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Tonopah Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like ALA - West Foothills struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Tonopah Valley might still be hurting after the 14-3 loss they got from ALA - West Foothills in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can the Phoenix avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
