Sabino has gone 8-2 against Empire recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Sabercats will challenge the Ravens at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Sabino sitting on five straight wins and Empire on three.
While Sabino's victory against Northwest Christian wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Sabercats narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past the Crusaders 9-7.
Avery Nielson
| 05/03/25 vs Northwest Christian | 15 |
| 04/25/25 @ Sahuaro | 5 |
| 04/21/25 vs Pusch Ridge Christian Academy | 14 |
| 04/17/25 @ Thatcher | 8 |
| 04/15/25 vs Tanque Verde | 17 |
| + 3 more games |
Avery Nielson made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs.
In other batting news, Alyssa Aguirre and Bobbi Valles did most of the damage at the plate: Aguirre went 2-for-4 with two runs and one stolen base, while Valles went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. That's the most hits Valles has posted since back in March. Mia Acosta was another key player, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with two RBI.
Sabino kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Empire never let their opponents score on Saturday. They blew past Safford 11-0. The result was nothing new for the Ravens, who have now won 18 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Empire got a massive performance out of Eva Peace, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Angelina Dehler, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Empire pushed their record up to 25-1 with the victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Sabino, their record now sits at 16-11.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Wednesday. Sabino hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Empire struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
