The Tanque Verde Hawks will head out on the road to square off against the Tombstone Yellow Jackets at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Tanque Verde has five straight victories, Tombstone has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Tuesday, Tanque Verde got the win against Sahuaro by a conclusive 19-3. Considering the Hawks have won ten contests by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Julia Pratt and Claire Achilles made a big impact while hitting and pitching. 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. That's the first time she hasn't allowed a single hit since back in February. 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. Achilles is on a roll when it comes to home runs, as she's now launched at least one in each of the last three games she's played.
Mikaela Jackson
| 03/25/25 @ Sahuaro | 4 |
| 03/22/25 @ Dobson | 2 |
| 03/22/25 @ Sunnyslope | 1 |
| 03/22/25 @ Mogollon | 2 |
| 03/21/25 @ Payson | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
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. That's the most runs she has posted over her last 12 matchups. 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.
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. The team also got some help courtesy of McKenzy Nicoll, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI.
Tanque Verde pushed their record up to 15-4 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Tombstone, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-11.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Tanque Verde has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .514. However, it's not like Tombstone struggles in that department as they've averaged .484. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Tanque Verde took their win against Tombstone in their previous matchup back in March of 2016 by a conclusive 20-6. Does Tanque Verde have another victory up their sleeve, or will Tombstone turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
