Needles is 10-0 against Awaken Christian since March of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Needles Mustangs will head out on the road to challenge the Awaken Christian Lions at 1:00 p.m. Needles is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Needles was able to grind out a solid win over Palo Verde Valley, taking the game 8-5.
Logan Parker and Collin Smith made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Parker struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Smith struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off two hits. Parker has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Parker went 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs, while Smith scored a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Holden Jones, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Gabe Rodriquez, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, while Awaken Christian put up plenty of runs on March 4th, the same can't be said for Mojave. Awaken Christian was the clear victor by a 14-0 margin over Mojave.
Brayden Velarde was a standout: he went 4-for-4 with three stolen bases, five RBI, and three runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucas Wulfenstein, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4.
Needles has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-4 record this season. As for Awaken Christian, their record is now 2-0.
Everything went Needles' way against Awaken Christian in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 as Needles made off with a 15-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Needles since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps