The Payson Longhorns will head out on the road to challenge the Valley Christian Trojans at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Payson sitting on three straight victories and Valley Christian on 13.
Payson took a ten-run defeat the last time they faced off against Florence, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Longhorns had just enough and edged out the Gophers 7-6.
Nolan Keeney
| 04/30/25 @ Florence | 4 |
| 04/23/25 vs Gilbert Christian | 3 |
| 04/21/25 vs Bourgade Catholic | 3 |
| 04/18/25 @ Northwest Christian | 3 |
| 04/14/25 @ Bourgade Catholic | 1 |
| + 9 more games |
Nolan Keeney was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February.
Florence typically has all the answers at home, but on Monday Valley Christian proved too difficult a challenge. They were the clear victors by a 21-2 margin over the Gophers. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won 18 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Devin Morganfield looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brock Jackson, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, three RBI, and two doubles. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 2.1 runs per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Carson Grier, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI and one stolen base.
Valley Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .643. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Florence only posted an OBP of .227.
Valley Christian pushed their record up to 25-2 with the win, which was their seventh straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Payson, they now have a winning record of 14-13.
Payson might still be hurting after the 13-0 loss they got from Valley Christian when the teams last played back in February of 2020. Can the Longhorns avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
