The Safford Bulldogs will be playing in front of their home fans against the Empire Ravens at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Safford is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 10.1 runs per game this season.
After some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last four matchups, Safford finally came back down to earth on Monday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Tanque Verde. The shutout was out of character for Safford seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in February.
Dylan Broderick was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits.
Meanwhile, while Empire put up some runs on Monday, the same can't be said for Palo Verde. Empire put the hurt on Palo Verde with a sharp 10-0 victory. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win Empire has managed all season.
Asher Bird made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Bird was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with a triple and a run.
In other pitching news, Travis Linkous looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
Back at the plate, Ben Savage was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was RJ Friend, who went 2-for-4 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
Safford's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-4. As for Empire, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 7-10 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Safford has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Empire struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Safford couldn't quite finish off Empire in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 and fell 4-2. Thankfully for Safford, Thomas Bryant (who pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
