AFL Update: Oct. 22, 2025
Scottsdale extended its win streak to four games by taking the opening game of yesterday’s doubleheader, 5-1.
Two Nationals saw game action:
- Ethan Petry walked twice, stole a base, and had an RBI single as the No. 8 batter in the Scorpions lineup. He played right field but had no defensive chances.
- Jared Simpson struck out the side in the 5th and worked around a Robles and a walk in the 6th to earn the hold. His Fall ERA remains at 0.00.
In the “aftercap,” Scottsdale rallied for two in the 9th but fell to Peoria, 8-4.
Three Nationals were in the starting lineup:
- Seaver King went hitless but drew a walk and scored a run out of the #2 spot. He played shortstop and turned a double play but also committed an error.
- Ethan Petry reached base three times again on a walk, hit-by-pitch, and a two-run single. He had one putout and fielded two hits.
- Sam Petersen fielded three hits and snagged three flyballs on defense. At the plate, he struck out three times in four PAs.
With the loss, the Scorpions fall to 8-4 but remain in first place. It’s another road game as Scottsdale visits second-place Surprise (7-4).
Simpson getting off to a really good start might be as surprising as King’s hot start. Simpson is 25 years old, and while being about 2 years older than average for the Sally League, he posted a really poor 6.23 ERA with unsightly peripherals (57 BB in 52 IP). He missed most of 2024 to injury, so this is basically the first season of his. Not good.
So for him to go from getting shelled in one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the game in Wilmington to the most batter-friendly leagues in the AFL, and completely flip the script is pretty remarkable! Yes, it’s only 6 IP, so we’ve gotta temper expectations, but good for Simpson! Hope he’s able to keep it up.
Speaking of pitching, our 4 arms besides Simpson have also generally been very good. Simpson’s 0.00 ERA is obviously tied for the best in the league, and his equally good 0.63 WHIP is good for 4th best among 142 arms to have appeared in the AFL already this year. Aldonis has an unsightly 7.50 ERA, but his 1.00 WHIP is actually 19th best, tied with Linan, who has a much better ERA of 1.80. Jake Bennett is in the same camp as Aldonis with an ERA (6.55) out of whack with his otherwise good prevention of runners getting on base (1.18 WHIP), and a fabulous 2:17 B:KK ratio. Amaral is the only one really struggling, with a 8.31 ERA backed up by a 1.62 WHIP, though it should be noted that AFL league average ERA is currently 6.25 and WHIP is 1.74, so with that in mind Amaral’s stats aren’t even that bad!
All around, this has been so far a remarkably good AFL for our guys. I think I’m still scarred from recent past seasons, where we had remarkably untalented contingents who unsurprisingly performed poorly.