Sanger is 2-8 against Madera since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Apaches will be playing in front of their home fans against the Coyotes at 3:30 p.m. Sanger is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
On Tuesday, Sanger beat Edison 6-3. That's two games straight that the Apaches have won by exactly three runs.
Emma Hernandez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Arianah Cardoso was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Samantha Guerra, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Sanger was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .310 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Madera narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Bullard 2-1. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Coyotes.
Viviana Nombrano spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on two hits.
On the hitting side, Madera secured the win behind a pair of hitters. One of them was Destinee Avila, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run.
Sanger's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Madera, their victory bumped their record up to 15-6.
Sanger might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from Madera in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Apaches avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
