The Piute Thunderbirds will head out on the road to take on the Wayne Badgers at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Piute has struggled recently with five defeats in a row, while Wayne will arrive with four straight victories.
Piute came up short against Milford on Thursday, falling 17-4.
Alayna Severe was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and 11 unearned) runs off eight hits. Severe was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Destri Morrill
| 03/19/26 vs Milford | 3 |
| 03/17/26 @ Milford | 5 |
| 03/14/26 vs Lincoln County | 1 |
| 03/14/26 vs Needles | 1 |
| 03/13/26 vs Gunnison Valley | 3 |
| + 4 more games |
In other batting news, Destri Morrill made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. She has been hot for a while, having posted at least one stolen base the last nine times she's played.
While Wayne didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-13), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Monticello a 15-0 shutout on Friday. Considering the Badgers have won eight contests by more than eight runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Piute, Wayne also got a great game from a two-way player: Alania Grundy. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Grundy was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Wayne got a massive performance out of Ava Snedeger, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. Another player making a difference was Jenna Erickson, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base.
Wayne was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in four consecutive matchups.
Wayne's record is now 9-4. As for Piute, their loss dropped their record down to 4-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Piute has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Piute might still be hurting after the 16-7 defeat they got from Wayne in their previous matchup last Thursday. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
