The Tempe Buffaloes will face off against the Desert Sunrise Golden Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Tempe gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. Everything went their way against Coronado as they made off with an 18-1 victory. Considering the Buffaloes have won 12 contests by more than six runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Hilana Valencia made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in strikeouts (three). She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she's played.
Maribella Rivera
| 04/10/25 @ Coronado | 3 |
| 04/02/25 vs Cortez | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ Cortez | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Dysart | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Dysart | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maribella Rivera, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4. What's more, she posted three RBI, the most she's had over her last eight matches. The team also got some help courtesy of Celeste Alvarez, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Tempe kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 10-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Desert Sunrise had just enough and edged out Cortez 11-9 on Thursday.
Atiana Fuller was incredible, scoring a run and stealing five bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.3 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Destiny Fisher, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Tempe is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 15.0 runs over those games. As for Desert Sunrise, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-10.
Desert Sunrise's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tempe has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 12.1 hits per game. It's a different story for Desert Sunrise, though, as they've been averaging 19.1 hits. Given Tempe's sizable advantage in that area, the Golden Hawks will need to find a way to close that gap. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
