The Juab Wasps will face off against the Payson Lions at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. Juab is coming into the game hot, having won their last 12 games.
Juab's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Richfield. The Wasps might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven contests by six runs or more this season.
Austin Park
| 04/16/25 vs Richfield | 1 |
| 03/31/25 @ North Sanpete | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Emery | 1 |
| 03/21/25 vs Cedar | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs ALA - Gilbert North | 1 |
The result came thanks to Austin Park's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Connor Cowan, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Treyson Coombs, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Juab was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Payson). They put the hurt on Ogden with a sharp 18-9 win on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Lions.
Maddux DeGraffenried was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Payson is 4-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-12 otherwise. DeGraffenried was also big at the plate, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with four RBI and one run. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Cole Neves was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxton Haveron, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Juab pushed their record up to 14-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Payson, their victory bumped their record up to 7-13.
Juab took their win against Payson when the teams last played back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 12-1 score. Will the Wasps repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
