The Flagstaff Eagles will head out on the road to square off against the Deer Valley Skyhawks at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Flagstaff sitting on six straight wins and Deer Valley on 13.
Flagstaff let Prescott stack four runs on them in the fourth inning on Saturday but luckily Flagstaff prevailed anyway. The Eagles narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Badgers 7-6.
The team relied heavily on Will Carpenter, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases and three runs. Another player making a difference was Christian Welker, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Flagstaff was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. They are 13-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Sahuarita typically has all the answers at home, but on Saturday Deer Valley proved too difficult a challenge. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Mustangs, sneaking past 4-2.
Gaven McDonald spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tyler Carr was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run. The team also got some help courtesy of Hunter Short, who went 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Deer Valley's win was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 19-8-1. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.1 runs over those games. As for Flagstaff, their record is now 20-9.
Monday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Flagstaff has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .458. However, it's not like Deer Valley struggles in that department as they've averaged .464. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Flagstaff came out on top in a nail-biter against Deer Valley in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 4-2. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Skyhawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
