Round Valley has gone 8-2 against St. Johns recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Elks will challenge the Redskins at 1:00 p.m. Round Valley will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Round Valley came out on top against Fountain Hills on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive nine-run sixth inning. The Elks blew past the Falcons 14-8. The Elks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 16 games by six runs or more this season.
Brenton Walker
| 04/21/26 @ Fountain Hills | 3 |
| 04/20/26 vs ALA - Mesa North | 2 |
| 04/17/26 @ Page | 2 |
| 04/15/26 vs Many Farms | 1 |
| 04/11/26 vs Benson | 1 |
| 04/09/26 vs Northland Prep Academy | 1 |
Brenton Walker was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases, two triples, and three RBI. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeffery Cochran, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Round Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 12 hits in four consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, St. Johns came up short against Mogollon on Tuesday and fell 11-6.
St. Johns saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaden Waite, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Waite has become a key player for the Redskins: the team is 6-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 0-12 otherwise. Gabe Castillo was another, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Round Valley's victory bumped their record up to 20-4. As for St. Johns, their loss dropped their record down to 6-14.
St. Johns' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Round Valley has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 14.5 hits per game. It's a different story for St. Johns, though, as they've been averaging 9 hits. Given Round Valley's sizable advantage in that area, the Redskins will need to find a way to close that gap.
Round Valley got the 'W' when the teams last played back in March against St. Johns by a conclusive 18-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Elks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
