Safford fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Empire on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Empire Ravens by a score of 8-7. Safford has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Izaiah Alvarado put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (he also only allowed one walk). Alvarado has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances. Alvarado was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-5.
Alvarado wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Cole Goodman, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Carlos Arbizo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
On Empire's side, Jeremy Watson looked comfortable as he tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk).
On the hitting side, Asher Bird was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs and a triple. Ben Savage was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Safford's loss dropped their record down to 9-5. As for Empire, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 8-10 record this season.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Safford will take on Pueblo at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Safford is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 9.8 runs per game this season. As for Empire, they will be playing at home against Sabino at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
