Baseball Game Preview: Phoenix Christian Cougars vs. Round Valley Elks

Cougars

Runs

04/11/25 vs Mogollon	14
04/10/25 vs Bagdad	9
04/08/25 @ Scottsdale Preparatory Academy	13
04/05/25 @ Tombstone	5
04/04/25 @ Pima	3
+ 14 more games

The Phoenix Christian Cougars will take on the Round Valley Elks at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. Phoenix Christian is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.1 runs per game this season.

Phoenix Christian's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Friday's struggle, when Mogollon hitters got past them. The Cougars walked away with a 15-12 victory over the Mustangs on Friday. The win was nothing new for the Cougars as they're now sitting on three straight.

Phoenix Christian let Ryne Viscum and Sam Shores run wild. Viscum scored two runs while going 1-for-2, while Shores scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Nate Burton, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.

Phoenix Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .625. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive matches.

Meanwhile, Round Valley came up short against San Tan Charter on Friday and fell 8-3. The Elks have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Round Valley saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lane Hill, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Round Valley's loss dropped their record down to 11-6. As for Phoenix Christian, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-2.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Phoenix Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Round Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Phoenix Christian couldn't quite get it done against Round Valley in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 11-7. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.