The Payson Lions will head out to face off against the Desert Hills Thunder at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Payson is headed into the contest with an undefeated record on the line, something Snow Canyon almost spoiled on Friday. Payson came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 10-9 W against Snow Canyon. The ten-run effort marked the Lions' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Aydrie Christensen spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and eight unearned) runs on four hits.
At the plate, Allie Callahan and Paisley Beckstead did most of the damage at the plate: Callahan went 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple, while Beckstead went 3-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI Callahan has posted since back in April of 2024. Myra Andrew also deserves some recognition as she got her first hits of the season.
Payson hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Desert Hills posted their closest victory since May 16, 2024 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Spanish Fork, sneaking past 2-1. The win was familiar territory for the Thunder, who have now won five games in a row.
Desert Hills' victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Payson, their record now sits at 5-0.
Payson suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Desert Hills when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can Payson avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
