The Combs Coyotes will head out on the road to square off against the Crismon Rattlers at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Combs has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with five straight defeats, while Crismon will come in with six straight wins.
On Thursday, Combs didn't have quite enough to beat Poston Butte and fell 6-5.
Combs saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Angus Brumbaugh, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Hector Ruelas also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Crismon won against Eastmark on Tuesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. The Rattlers blew past the Firebirds 10-3. The result was nothing new for the Rattlers, who have now won 11 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Connor Stewart looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, James Smith and Elijah McGuire did most of the damage at the plate: Smith went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles, while McGuire went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave Smith a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaden Peed, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
Crismon kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in five consecutive contests.
Crismon's record now sits at 14-1. As for Combs, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8-2.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Combs hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .344. However, it's not like Crismon struggles in that department as they've averaged .404. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Combs might still be hurting after the 17-2 defeat they got from Crismon in their previous meeting back in April of 2025. Can the Coyotes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
