Kingman hasn't had much luck against Yuma Catholic recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Bulldogs will face off against the Shamrocks. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Kingman sitting on seven straight wins and Yuma Catholic on three.
Kingman is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Benjamin Franklin a 5-0 shutout.
Kingman saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cash Collins, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Yuma Catholic made easy work of Empire on Tuesday and carried off a 10-3 victory. Considering the Shamrocks have won 18 games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hiram Silva spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Erik Topete was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last six games he's played. Another player making a difference was Joey Carey, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Yuma Catholic kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 12 hits in three consecutive contests.
Kingman pushed their record up to 20-4 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Yuma Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 23-2.
Saturday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Kingman hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. However, it's not like Yuma Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .435. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Kingman might still be hurting after the 18-2 loss they got from Yuma Catholic in their previous meeting back in April. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
