The Alta Hawks will challenge the Payson Lions at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Wednesday, Alta needed a bit of extra time to put away Brighton. They skirted past the Bengals 13-11. The victory was familiar territory for the Hawks, who have now won five matchups in a row.
Carson Boyer looked comfortable as he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
Alta kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Payson got the win against Hillcrest on Saturday by a conclusive 14-2. The Lions have beaten the Huskies the last six times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Huskies has come to flipping the script.
Payson let Ty Marvin and Brooks Baum run wild. Marvin went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Baum went 1-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Marvin is becoming a predictor of Payson's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 9-10 when he doesn't). Kyler Ewell was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Payson's win bumped their record up to 16-10. As for Alta, their victory bumped their record up to 16-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Alta has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Payson struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Alta was able to grind out a solid win over Payson in their previous meeting back in March of 2019, winning 6-2. Will the Hawks repeat their success, or do the Lions have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
