Tanque Verde is 0-4 against Sunnyside since February of 2017 but things could change on Thursday. The Tanque Verde Hawks will take on the Sunnyside Blue Devils in a tournament on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Tanque Verde picked up another tournament win on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Rincon/University with a sharp 17-5 win.
Santino Celani
| 03/12/25 vs Rincon/University | 7 |
| 03/12/24 vs Cornerstone Christian | 6 |
| 03/06/25 vs San Tan Foothills | 5 |
| 04/18/24 @ Palo Verde | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs Bel Air | 2 |
Santino Celani made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double. That double marked the first that he hit this season.
In other batting news, Liam Brunell was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He is becoming a predictor of Tanque Verde's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-0-1 (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Landon Walker, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3.
Tanque Verde was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Sunnyside entered their tilt with Mountain View on Wednesday with two consecutive wins , and they'll enter their next game with three. Everything went their way against the Mountain Lions as they made off with a 14-2 victory. With that win, the Blue Devils brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
ARMANDO BEJARANO tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on MICHEL MUNIZ, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of LUCAS MATA, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Tanque Verde's victory bumped their record up to 5-2-1. As for Sunnyside, their win bumped their record up to 7-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Tanque Verde has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Sunnyside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Tanque Verde came up short against Sunnyside when the teams last played back in April of 2023, falling 3-0. Can Tanque Verde avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
