The Canyon del Oro Dorados will take on the Campo Verde Coyotes at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Canyon del Oro is coming into the match hot, having won their last ten games.
Canyon del Oro lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Casa Grande, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Monday's game. The Dorados put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 13-2 win on Monday. The Dorados might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 contests by nine runs or more this season.
Francisco Rivero was incredible, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Adrian Encinas, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Canyon del Oro always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Casa Grande only posted an OBP of .263.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Campo Verde rose to the challenge on Wednesday. They walked away with a 7-2 victory over the Huskies. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Coyotes as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.
Anthony Flacco spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits. Campo Verde is 5-2 when Flacco allows one or fewer earned runs, but 8-11 otherwise.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Xavier Roberson, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. He is becoming a predictor of Campo Verde's success: when he posts at least three RBI the team is undefeated (and 10-13 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Ezekiel Zion, who went 1-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI.
Canyon del Oro's victory was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 23-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Campo Verde, the victory got them back to even at 13-13.
Canyon del Oro took their win against Campo Verde when the teams last played back in February of 2015 by a conclusive 10-3 score. Do the Dorados have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Coyotes turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
