Empire is 1-9 against Walden Grove since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Empire Ravens will challenge the Walden Grove Red Wolves at 4:00 p.m. Empire will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Empire 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 put the hurt on Coolidge with a sharp 12-2 win.
Empire got a great performance from Evan Walker as he struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, Zackary Breinlinger was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. That run marked the first that he scored this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Adam Armstrong, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Walden Grove never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Flowing Wells on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by an 11-3 margin over the Caballeros. The victory continues a trend for the Red Wolves in their matchups with the Caballeros: they've now won three in a row.
Sebastian Gallardo tossed a big game, pitching 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits.
At the plate, Angel Armenta was a standout: he got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Marcus Baray, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Walden Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .394. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Flowing Wells only posted a batting average of .267.
Empire now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Walden Grove, their record is now 3-1.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Empire hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. However, it's not like Walden Grove struggles in that department as they've averaged .330. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Empire came up short against Walden Grove in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, falling 9-5. Can Empire avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
