Chargers
| 03/18/25 vs Nogales | 4 |
| 03/13/25 vs Flowing Wells | 12 |
| 03/06/25 vs Maricopa | 16 |
| 03/04/25 vs Tanque Verde | 7 |
| 02/26/25 @ Pueblo | 12 |
Cholla and Tanque Verde are an even 3-3 against one another since February of 2017, but likely not for long. The Cholla Chargers will square off against the Tanque Verde Hawks at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Cholla is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.
Cholla is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Nogales just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They took an 8-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Apaches. The game marked the Chargers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Cholla saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Hector Silvain, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Tanque Verde, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by a 14-4 margin over Rincon/University on Thursday. The Hawks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Ryan Ruskay made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 5.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off six hits. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. Tanque Verde is 5-1-1 when Ruskay posts two or more runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
In other batting news, Liam Brunell was excellent, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Tanque Verde's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 6-1-1 (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Dylan Lewis was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Tanque Verde pushed their record up to 7-4-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 12 runs. As for Cholla, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 4-1.
Friday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Cholla has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .439. However, it's not like Tanque Verde struggles in that department as they've averaged .559. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cholla was able to grind out a solid victory over Tanque Verde when the teams last played on March 4th, winning 7-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cholla since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
