The Show Low Cougars will venture away from home to face off against the Payson Longhorns at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Show Low is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Tuba City with a sharp 32-2 win on Wednesday. The victory was familiar territory for the Cougars, who have now won five matches in a row.
Riley Heuett and Addisyn Clark made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Heuett pitched three innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Clark pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Heuett has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. At the plate, Heuett scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances, while Clark scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. That's the most stolen bases Clark has posted since back in March.
Avery Ervien
| 04/02/25 @ Tuba City | 5 |
| 03/04/25 @ Thatcher | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs Estrella Foothills | 3 |
| 03/28/25 vs Snowflake | 2 |
| 03/20/25 vs Chinle | 2 |
In other batting news, Avery Ervien was a standout: she went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ari Rivera, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs and four RBI.
Show Low always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .750. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Payson never let their opponents score on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Apache Junction as they made off with a 22-0 win. The Longhorns haven't had any issues with the Prospectors recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Payson got a massive performance out of Caelee Boyle, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Boyle also put up a triple, which was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Breezey Morgan, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI.
Show Low's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-4. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Payson, their record now sits at 7-5.
Thursday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Show Low has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .528. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've averaged .575. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
