The Combs Coyotes will take on the Chinle Wildcats in a tournament on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Combs has struggled recently with seven losses in a row, while Chinle will arrive with four straight victories.
On Thursday, Combs came up short against Florence and fell 8-3.
Angus Brumbaugh and Emilio Quintana did some serious damage despite the final result: Brumbaugh went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple and one RBI, while Quintana scored a run and stole four bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Chinle made easy work of Payson on Thursday and carried off an 11-2 win. Considering the Wildcats have won seven games by more than eight runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Kennon Sorrell and Hage Tsosie made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Sorrell pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Tsosie pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, Sorrell posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. At bat, Sorrell went 2-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double, while Tsosie scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Tsosie has become a key player for Chinle: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 4-8 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Duane Ayze, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Chinle is undefeated when Ayze posts two or more runs, but 6-8 otherwise.
Chinle kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in four consecutive matchups.
Chinle's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Combs, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-11-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Combs has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Chinle struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
