The Kingman Bulldogs will square off against the Highland Prep Honey Badgers at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. Kingman is coming into the contest hot, having won their last four games.
If Kingman beats Highland Prep with eight runs on Wednesday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. The Bulldogs were the clear victors by an 8-1 margin over Odyssey Institute on Monday. The Bulldogs might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by six runs or more this season.
Codey Padilla
| 04/21/25 vs Odyssey Institute | 12 |
| 04/14/25 @ Chino Valley | 7 |
| 04/08/25 @ Tonopah Valley | 8 |
Codey Padilla spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up 12 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Canton Collins was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. Cash Collins was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Highland Prep). They walked away with a 10-5 win over Highland Prep West on Monday. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Honey Badgers' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Elijah Rodda made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 4.2 innings while giving up four earned runs off five hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs. Those runs marked the first that he has scored this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on David Kilgore, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Max Henderson, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Highland Prep always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .686. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Kingman's victory bumped their record up to 17-4. As for Highland Prep, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-10.
Highland Prep's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Kingman has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .482. It's a different story for Highland Prep, though, as they've only averaged .321. Will they be able to contain Kingman's hitters?
Everything went Kingman's way against Highland Prep when the teams last played on April 4th, as Kingman made off with a 28-0 victory. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Honey Badgers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
