For the first time this season, Timpanogos will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup on Thursday. They will head out on the road to square off against the Payson Lions at 3:30 p.m. One thing working in Timpanogos' favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last six games.
Timpanogos is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Legacy, who was ranked 25th in their home state at the time (Timpanogos was ranked 16th). Everything went Timpanogos' way against Legacy on Saturday as Timpanogos made off with a 12-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Timberwolves, who have now won six contests by ten runs or more so far this season.
Shaylie Lang made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in April of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Timpanogos got a massive performance out of Madison Young, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Kelci Gingras also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Timpanogos kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Payson hadn't done well against Spanish Fork recently (they were 0-9 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. Payson walked away with an 8-5 win over Spanish Fork. Eight seems to be a good number for the Lions as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Peyton Staheli spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and three unearned) runs on five hits and racked up 16 Ks. Those 16 strikeouts set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Allie Callahan was incredible, going 3-for-5 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April of 2024. Aydrie Christensen was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Payson's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Timpanogos, their record now sits at 7-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Timpanogos hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.1 home runs per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 1.1 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Timpanogos might still be hurting after the 19-7 loss they got from Payson when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can Timpanogos avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
