The Casa Grande Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Sunrise Mountain Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Casa Grande is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Casa Grande managed to slip by Canyon del Oro the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Cougars came up short against the Dorados on Monday, falling 13-2. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Cougars couldn't push the score so high this time.
Casa Grande saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Max Wagner, who went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Sunrise Mountain had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They skirted past the Lions 3-1.
Ethan Dinnell looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Chase Heid was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. Sunrise Mountain is undefeated when Heid posts two or more runs, but 7-10 otherwise. Jorge Campillo was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Sunrise Mountain's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-10. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Casa Grande, their loss dropped their record down to 13-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Casa Grande has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sunrise Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
