Sunrise Mountain is preparing for their first region matchup of the season on Tuesday. They will venture away from home to face off against the Willow Canyon Wildcats at 3:45 p.m. Sunrise Mountain is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.6 runs per game this season.
Sunrise Mountain is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Saguaro just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Wednesday. They took a 5-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Sabercats.
Dominick Santalucia was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
Bryce Madison
| 03/19/25 vs Saguaro | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs Lutheran | 1 |
| 03/15/25 vs Santa Fe South | 1 |
| 03/01/25 vs Canyon View | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Mingus | 1 |
On the hitting side, Sunrise Mountain saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bryce Madison, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Those two hits gave Madison a new career-high.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Willow Canyon made sure to put some runs up on the board against Damonte Ranch on Wednesday. Willow Canyon put the hurt on Damonte Ranch with a sharp 11-2 victory. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by six runs or more this season.
Jake Miller looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits.
At the plate, Cameron Davidson was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, one triple, and one run. Brody Orr also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Willow Canyon has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. Sunrise Mountain's defeat dropped their record down to 9-5.
Both Sunrise Mountain and Willow Canyon just can't seem to miss. Sunrise Mountain has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Willow Canyon struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.6 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Sunrise Mountain was able to grind out a solid victory over Willow Canyon in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 6-2. Will Sunrise Mountain repeat their success, or does Willow Canyon has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
