Empire improved to 23-1 on the year after the Ravens broke free in the middle innings to defeat Pueblo 10-0 at home Thursday night. Empire is ranked No. 2 in the 3A Conference with a 13-1 record in ranking games and the loss came at No. 1 Sabino nine days ago by a score of 2-1. There’s a strong possibility the two teams will meet once again in the state playoffs.

Pueblo is now 12-6 on the year and ranked No. 13 in the 4A Conference with a 10-4 record in ranking games. At this point, the Warriors are looking to host a play-in game on Wednesday, April 26 but the team just started one of the most difficult stretches in the state with games against Sunnyside, Salpointe and Canyon del Oro ahead.

The Warriors kept things close at Empire in the first two innings but the Ravens plated three runs in the bottom of the third, two in the fourth, three more in the fifth and two more in the sixth for the 10-0 run rule. Senior catcher Ariel Schulzkump hit a 2-run shot in the fifth inning and sophomore Eva Peace hit the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth.

Belen Camacho. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365)

 

Junior standout Belen Camacho (7-4) led Pueblo with a double and she also picked up six strikeouts from the circle. Schulzkump went 2-3 with three RBI and the home run, Peace went 2-4 with two RBI and her home run, Angelina Dehler went 2-4 with a double, Callista Drawbaugh went 3-4 with an RBI and a double Kendall Freidinger (16-1) collected 11 strikeouts in the win.

Empire will host No. 42 San Miguel (2-8) Friday night and Pueblo will host 6A No. 3 Sunnyside (21-5, 13-1) on Monday.

Kendall Freidinger . (Andy Morales/AZPreps365)