The Sabino Sabercats will square off against the Northwest Christian Crusaders at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Northwest Christian will be up against a hot Sabino team: the squad just extended their winning streak to four. The Sabercats put the hurt on Sahuaro with a sharp 18-3 victory last Friday. The Sabercats' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Avery Nielson
| 04/25/25 @ Sahuaro | 5 |
| 04/21/25 vs Pusch Ridge Christian Academy | 14 |
| 04/17/25 @ Thatcher | 8 |
| 04/15/25 vs Tanque Verde | 17 |
| 04/11/25 @ Ironwood Ridge | 15 |
| + 2 more games |
Ella Morse and Avery Nielson were major factors no matter where they played. Throwing, Morse struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Nielson pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. At the plate, Morse got on base in two of her four plate appearances with one stolen base and one run, while Nielson went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. That's the most RBI Nielson has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Sabino let Mia Acosta and Alyssa Aguirre run wild. Acosta got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Aguirre went 3-for-4 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. Bobbi Valles was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Sabino hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 6-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Northwest Christian had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 13.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over the Wildcats.
Sabino's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-11. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Northwest Christian, their win bumped their record up to 18-5.
Sabino took their victory against Northwest Christian when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 14-4 score. Do the Sabercats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Crusaders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
