The Catalina Foothills Falcons will square off against the Canyon View Jaguars on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Catalina Foothills 3.5, Canyon View 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Catalina Foothills is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Cienega a 13-0 shutout. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Bryce Weege made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nate Shoemaker, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Ganon Dwyer, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Catalina Foothills always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cienega only posted an OBP of .118.
Meanwhile, Canyon View had already won 16 in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it 17 on Monday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 4-3 W against the Vipers.
Like Catalina Foothills, Canyon View also got a great game from a two-way player: Brody Meyer. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meyer was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple and one double.
In other pitching news, Cason Hagerman looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits (and not a single walk).
Meyer wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Max King, who went 2-for-3 with one run.
Catalina Foothills is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 16 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Canyon View, they pushed their record up to 28-4 with the victory, which was their 12th straight at home.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Catalina Foothills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. However, it's not like Canyon View struggles in that department as they've averaged .382. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Catalina Foothills beat Canyon View 9-6 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Falcons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
