The top ranked Holbrook Roadrunners will face 16th seeded Empire in the 3A State Baseball Tournament at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 5, at the Surprise Sport Complex.
The Empire Ravens finished the season at 15-11-1 overall and they were ranked 19th with a 10-8 regular season mark. Empire defeated 14th ranked Benjamin Franklin 13-1 in the play-in game on Wednesday of last week to make the final state bracket.
The Ravens come into this game on a bit of a hot streak, having won seven of their last eight, with the only loss being to last year’s state runner-up Sahuarita, the fourth ranked team this year.
The Roadrunners enter the tournament with an overall record of 23-5 and were 16-2 in regular season contests. They have also won seven of their last eight dating back to the Estrella Foothills tournament.
If the Birds avoid a first round upset, they would face either No. 8 Northwest Christian or No. 9 Chino Valley at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6. A win in that game would advance them to the semifinal round next weekend.
