For the first time this season, Gilbert will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Gilbert Tigers duke it out with Desert Ridge Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (they have three straight wins, Desert Ridge has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Gilbert barely beat Campo Verde the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Gilbert blew past Campo Verde 19-5 on Monday. The Tigers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Brady Carlin was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Carlin was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February.
In other batting news, Gilbert got a massive performance out of Grant Goodman, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all six of his plate appearances. What's more, Goodman posted three hits, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Hayden Leach, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, four RBI, and two doubles.
Gilbert kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.8 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 10.
Meanwhile, Desert Ridge didn't have quite enough to beat Brophy College Prep on Friday and fell 3-2.
Desert Ridge saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Drew Lindblom, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Gilbert pushed their record up to 4-9 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Desert Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-9.
Gilbert couldn't quite finish off Desert Ridge in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 3-1. Can Gilbert avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
