The Pleasant Grove Vikings will venture away from home to face off against the Lone Peak Knights at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Pleasant Grove is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Pleasant Grove is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Utah's top teams: Lehi, who was ranked 13th at the time (Pleasant Grove was ranked second). The Vikings blew past the Pioneers 9-3 on Friday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last three times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Pleasant Grove got a great performance from Van Haynie as he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. That's the most strikeouts Haynie has posted since back in April of 2024.
Drew Smith
| 05/02/25 vs Lehi | 3 |
| 04/30/25 @ Lehi | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs Lehi | 2 |
| 04/25/25 vs American Fork | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ American Fork | 1 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, Drew Smith was incredible, going 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Nash Bennett, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.
Pleasant Grove kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lehi only managed six hits.
Meanwhile, Lone Peak waltzed into their game on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against the Thunder as they made off with an 8-1 victory.
The team relied heavily on Grady Slesk, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Jordan Tucker, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
The win got Lone Peak back to even at 11-11. As for Pleasant Grove, their record now sits at 18-4.
Monday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Pleasant Grove hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .346. However, it's not like Lone Peak struggles in that department as they've averaged .314. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pleasant Grove came out on top in a nail-biter against Lone Peak in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 4-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
