The Desert Hills Thunder will challenge the Mountain Crest Mustangs at 10:45 a.m. on Saturday. Desert Hills will be strutting in after a win while Mountain Crest will be coming in after a defeat.
Desert Hills proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 11) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Payson 5-4. The win continues a trend for the Thunder in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won three in a row.
Jayla Ybright was excellent, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Riley Greene was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Desert Hills hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Mountain Crest suffered their biggest loss since April 24, 2025 on Friday. They lost 13-1 to Payson. The Mustangs have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Keltey Hendry was cooking despite her team's loss, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, one stolen base, and one double.
Desert Hills now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Mountain Crest, they now have a losing record of 1-2.
Mountain Crest's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Desert Hills has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .451. It's a different story for Mountain Crest, though, as they've only averaged .310. Will they be able to contain Desert Hills' hitters?
Everything went Desert Hills' way against Mountain Crest in their previous meeting back in March of 2025, as Desert Hills made off with a 16-1 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Thunder since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
