The Gilbert Christian Knights will face off against the Safford Bulldogs at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Gilbert Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They came out on top against ALA - West Foothills by a score of 7-2. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Knights as it put an end to their five-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Brody Aubut
| 03/04/25 vs ALA - West Foothills | 9 |
| 04/13/24 vs Bagdad | 8 |
| 02/26/25 vs Kofa | 7 |
| 04/30/24 vs Scottsdale Christian Academy | 7 |
| 03/27/24 @ Scottsdale Christian Academy | 7 |
Brody Aubut spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits and racked up nine Ks. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Tyler Burr was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Sam Webb also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Gilbert Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Safford made sure to put some runs up on the board against Globe on Tuesday. Safford walked away with a 10-7 win over Globe.
Darren Maldonado made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Maldonado was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with four RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cole Goodman, who went 1-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Andrew Trujillo was another key player, scoring three runs while going 1-for-3.
Gilbert Christian's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Safford, their record is now 4-1.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Gilbert Christian hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.4 home runs per game. However, it's not like Safford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
