Sunnyside and Marana are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but likely not for long. The Blue Devils will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their games after big wins in their previous games.
Sunnyside took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 14-8 margin over Cienega. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their two-run performance the contest before.
EMRICK THOMPSON made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He is becoming a predictor of Sunnyside's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is 5-2 (and 4-7 when he doesn't). THOMPSON was also big at the plate, going 1-for-5 with two runs and one stolen base.
PIERCE CASTRO
| 04/01/26 vs Cienega | 3 |
| 03/18/26 vs Tanque Verde | 2 |
| 03/16/26 vs Sahuarita | 2 |
| 03/31/26 @ Tucson High Magnet School | 1 |
| 03/24/26 @ Kofa | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on PIERCE CASTRO, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. DIEGO GARCIA was another key player, going 4-for-5 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Sunnyside was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .459. They are 5-2 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Marana never got on the board in their matchup on Thursday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Rincon/University on Tuesday. They blew past the Rangers 13-3. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Rangers: they've now won five in a row.
Like Sunnyside, Marana also got a great game from a two-way player: Rilee Dewey. He pitched three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Dewey has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
In other pitching news, Breyson Ellis looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, Marana got a big performance out of Emmit Lee, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Elijah Raney, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
The win got Sunnyside back to even at 9-9. As for Marana, their victory bumped their record up to 5-11-1.
Marana's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sunnyside has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .435. It's a different story for Marana, though, as they've only averaged .357. Will they be able to contain Sunnyside's hitters?
Sunnyside got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 against Marana by a conclusive 12-2 score. Will the Blue Devils repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
