AFL Update: Nov. 2, 2025
Scottsdale blew a 5-1 lead and fell behind 6-5 before getting single runs in the 7th and 9th to walk off Salt River, 7-6.
The bullpen meltdown took away a possible win from Jake Bennett (pictured), who spun five innings of one-run ball while scattering seven hits, walking one, and fanning two.
Sam Petersen and Ethan Petry once again manned the corners of the outfield. Petersen singled, doubled, and drove in a run in five trips to the plate. Petry went 1-for-5. The two combined to strike out four times.
Jared Simpson rounded out the foursome of Nats in the game. The 25-y.o. let in one of two inherited runners but put up two goose eggs while allowing a hit, walking none, and striking out two.
The Scorpions (15-6) remain home to close out the week as they host the Rafters (8-13).
Some more really encouraging performances.
Bennett wasn’t quite as dominant, but he made up for that with efficiency. 69 pitches to get through 5 full innings is impressive, especially when he was inducing very weak contact (8 groundball outs vs 2 flyouts, and 3 of the 7 hits allowed were ground balls too).
Simpson maintains his perfect ERA, a feat accomplished by only one other pitcher in the AFL.
Petersen and Petry have also been quietly good, though Petersen more so. Their strikeouts, though, are concerning. Petry started slowly with a lot of Ks, but has improved in recent days to bring his K% to 27%. Petersen’s, however, is ticking up. His K% sits at a more worrying 35%. Not sure what to make of it, since Petersen has never had a K% above 24% before, but something to keep an eye on.