The Desert Hills Thunder will challenge the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. Desert Hills knows how to get runs on the board -- the squad has finished with ten runs or more in their past five contests -- so hopefully Crimson Cliffs likes a good challenge.
Desert Hills is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They blew past Stansbury 16-2. Considering the Thunder have won 17 games by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Hoyt Atkin looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Keithen Dove
| 05/08/26 @ Stansbury | 4 |
| 04/21/26 @ Cedar | 3 |
| 04/15/26 @ Hurricane | 2 |
| 03/19/26 vs Juab | 2 |
| 04/17/26 vs Hurricane | 1 |
At the plate, Desert Hills let Roah Wall and Keithen Dove run wild. Wall went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI, while Dove went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those four RBI gave Dove a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Harmon Skeen, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Desert Hills hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Crimson Cliffs had just enough and edged out Orem 8-6 on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Mustangs.
JAMISON THORNOCK looked comfortable as he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Jack Boyer and Ricardo Navarro did most of the damage at the plate: Boyer went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double, while Navarro went a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple and one RBI. That triple was Navarro's first of the season. Sam Chappell was another key player, going 3-for-5 with one run and one RBI.
Crimson Cliffs' win bumped their record up to 16-11. As for Desert Hills, their victory bumped their record up to 21-6.
Monday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Desert Hills hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .345. However, it's not like Crimson Cliffs struggles in that department as they've averaged .313. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Desert Hills couldn't quite finish off Crimson Cliffs in their previous meeting back in March and fell 3-1. Can the Thunder avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
