Empire waltzed into their match on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Palo Verde Titans a 13-0 shutout. The Ravens have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Titans, too.
Asher Bird
| 04/15/25 vs Palo Verde | 3 |
| 04/02/24 vs Sabino | 1 |
| 03/25/24 vs Palo Verde | 12 |
Asher Bird made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brady Carey, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-1. He is becoming a predictor of Empire's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 9-10 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Adam Armstrong, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-1.
Empire always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
The win got Empire back to even at 11-11. As for Palo Verde, they dropped their record down to 6-8 with the loss, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Empire will face off against Pusch Ridge Christian Academy at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Ravens' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Lions have averaged an impressive 7.1 runs per game this season. As for Palo Verde, they will square off against Globe at 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The Titans' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Tigers have averaged an impressive 6.3 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
