Phoenix Christian is on a five-game streak of home wins, while Wickenburg is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Cougars will welcome the Wranglers at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Phoenix Christian will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Northland Prep Academy, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Cougars' pitcher stepped up to hand the Spartans an 8-0 shutout on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won 14 games by eight runs or more so far this season.
Karly Van Metre
| 04/01/26 @ Northland Prep Academy | 16 |
| 03/31/26 @ Fountain Hills | 6 |
| 03/28/26 vs San Miguel | 7 |
| 03/25/26 vs Madison Highland Prep | 9 |
| 03/23/26 @ Scottsdale Christian Academy | 13 |
| + 3 more games |
Not much got past Karly Van Metre, who gave up just three hits and racked up 16 Ks to keep Northland Prep Academy off the board. Van Metre has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Phoenix Christian let Yashaley Garay and Hannah Fisher run wild. Garay went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI, while Fisher went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. That's the most stolen bases Garay has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Wickenburg hadn't done well against Bagdad recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Wranglers put the hurt on the Sultans with a sharp 18-8 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wranglers considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Sydney Anderson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and five unearned) runs on nine hits and racked up six Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Macy Murphy, who went 3-for-5 with five RBI, two runs, and one triple. That triple was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Martin, who got on base in three of her five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
Wickenburg kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Wickenburg's victory bumped their record up to 8-11. As for Phoenix Christian, their win bumped their record up to 15-5.
Wickenburg's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Phoenix Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Wickenburg, though, as they've been averaging only 3.6 strikeouts. Will Phoenix Christian keep running through batters, or will the Wranglers buck the trend?
Everything went Phoenix Christian's way against Wickenburg when the teams last played back in March, as Phoenix Christian made off with an 11-0 victory. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wranglers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
