The Chaparral Firebirds will venture away from home to take on the Desert Mountain Wolves at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Desert Mountain took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Chaparral, who comes in off a win.
Chaparral made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Arizona College Prep, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Firebirds blew past the Knights 14-8 on Thursday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Firebirds needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Ryan Penney looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched. He also allowed three hits, marking his first of the season.
Gavin Mesa
| 04/03/25 @ Arizona College Prep | 4 |
| 03/13/25 vs Hamilton | 3 |
| 03/06/25 vs Mountain Pointe | 3 |
| 03/01/24 vs Willow Canyon | 3 |
| 03/24/25 @ Centennial | 2 |
At the plate, Chaparral got a massive performance out of Gavin Mesa, who went 4-for-5 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave Mesa a new career-high. Reece Solar was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Chaparral always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Desert Mountain was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-4 heartbreaker at the hands of Horizon. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Wolves have suffered since April 16, 2024.
Desert Mountain saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Riyan Patel, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Chaparral is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Desert Mountain, they now have a losing record of 9-10.
Chaparral couldn't quite get it done against Desert Mountain in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 as they fell 7-4. Can the Firebirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
