The Alta Hawks will venture away from home to square off against the Jordan Beetdiggers at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The last three games Alta has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Alta is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Utah's top teams: Brighton, who was ranked eighth at the time (Alta was ranked 20th). The Hawks came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bengals on Friday, sneaking past 10-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hawks have posted since April 15th.
Derek Tate looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Colton Hall, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Abel Velador, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Alta was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Brighton only posted a batting average of .200.
Meanwhile, Jordan entered their tilt with East on Friday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They came out on top against the Leopards by a score of 10-5.
NOAH GATTI and JACKSON ROSVALL did most of the damage at the plate: GATTI went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run, while ROSVALL went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of GAGE NALDER, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Alta is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Jordan, their record now sits at 14-8.
Monday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Alta has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .466. However, it's not like Jordan struggles in that department as they've averaged .490. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Alta's way against Jordan in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, as Alta made off with a 7-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
