The Sabino Sabercats will challenge the Northwest Christian Crusaders at 3:45 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Wednesday, Sabino got the win against Douglas by a conclusive 13-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Sabercats.
Avery Nielson
| 03/19/25 vs Douglas | 9 |
| 03/13/25 vs Mountain View | 13 |
| 03/12/25 vs Marana | 7 |
| 03/12/25 vs Buena | 13 |
| 03/04/25 vs Sahuarita | 13 |
| + 3 more games |
Avery Nielson made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Bobbi Valles and Alyssa Aguirre did most of the damage at the plate: Valles scored a run while going 3-for-4, while Aguirre scored two runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. That's the most hits Valles has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Mia Acosta, who scored two runs while going 1-for-4.
Sabino was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .412. They are 4-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Northwest Christian). They blew past ALA - Ironwood 26-8 on Wednesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Crusaders with their most commanding win of the season.
Northwest Christian got a massive performance out of Kinsey Unger, who scored five runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Mia Angus was another key player, going 4-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two doubles.
Northwest Christian's victory bumped their record up to 6-2. As for Sabino, their win bumped their record up to 5-9.
Northwest Christian's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Sabino has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.1 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Northwest Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Sabino keep running through batters, or will Northwest Christian buck the trend? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
