Vikings
| 04/30/25 vs Maple Mountain | 9 |
| 04/29/25 vs Lehi | 3 |
| 04/24/25 @ Skyridge | 16 |
| 04/22/25 vs Lone Peak | 19 |
| 04/21/25 @ American Fork | 15 |
| + 19 more games |
The Pleasant Grove Vikings are taking a road trip to take on the Westlake Thunder at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Pleasant Grove is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11 runs per game this season.
Pleasant Grove is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Utah's top teams: Maple Mountain, who was ranked 19th at the time (Pleasant Grove was ranked 16th). The Vikings walked away with a 9-6 victory over the Golden Eagles on Wednesday. The Vikings haven't had any issues with the Golden Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Keslie Draney was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched seven innings while giving up five earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one home run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Maile Larsen, who fired off two home runs and five RBI while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Mary Severe, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Pleasant Grove was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Maple Mountain only posted a batting average of .250.
Meanwhile, Westlake got the win against Lone Peak on Tuesday by a conclusive 16-1. The result was nothing new for the Thunder, who have now won 14 contests by seven runs or more so far this season.
Like Pleasant Grove, Westlake also got a great game from a two-way player: Deveni Tu'ivai. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Tu'ivai was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Westlake got a massive performance out of Madison Buckley, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Addison Conder was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Westlake pushed their record up to 17-5 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 20.0 runs over those games. As for Pleasant Grove, their record now sits at 18-6.
Pleasant Grove's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's matchup. The Vikings have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Westlake, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Pleasant Grove continue to outrun the ball?
Pleasant Grove came out on top in a nail-biter against Westlake in their previous matchup back in April, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
