1 / 7

Pleasant Grove junior Brooke Fisher slides safely into third base during the non-region game against Riverton in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

2 / 7

Pleasant Grove players shake hands with each other after the non-region game against Riverton in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

3 / 7

Pleasant Grove freshman Allyson Young makes a catch during the non-region game against Riverton in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

4 / 7

A Pleasant Grove batter hits the ball during the non-region game against Riverton in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

5 / 7

Pleasant Grove junior Brooke Fisher tags out a Riverton runner during the non-region game in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

6 / 7

Pleasant Grove sophomore Keslie Draney throws a pitch during the non-region game against Riverton in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

7 / 7

A Pleasant Grove fielder throws the ball across the diamond during the non-region game against Riverton in Pleasant Grove on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

The Pleasant Grove softball team knew it was facing a tough challenge when it hosted Riverton — the defending 6A champs and again one of the top teams in the state — in a non-region game Monday afternoon.

The Vikings came out strong, holding the Silverwolves to a single hit in the top of the first while Pleasant Grove got a run in their half of the inning.

From that point on, however, Riverton showed what it takes to be elite.

The Silverwolves scored in each of the next five innings and held the Vikings scoreless, pulling away to get the 11-1 win in six innings.

“We put the ball in play and hit it hard, but we just kept hitting right to their defense,” Pleasant Grove head coach Leslie Young said. “I don’t think the game was very telling us what we’re capable of. They’re a tough team but we’re a tough team too.”

While the final score certainly wasn’t what the Vikings were hoping for, the bottom line is that this was a valuable game in many ways for both teams but for Pleasant Grove especially.

Since both teams have had great seasons, getting the game in was worth it despite the need to reschedule due to weather issues. That’s because it will help the ratings percentage index (RPI) numbers for both squads.

The Vikings also got the chance to see how they measure up to a team that has made it to the top.

“I would say the benefits are just seeing each other’s tendencies,” Young said. “We were able to learn more about the other team and see what to expect. You can see what you need to do, how you need to grow.”

Pleasant Grove has had a great season and playing great competition is helping the Vikings reach for their goals.

“We really want tend to be in the top eight in the RPI and get that first round bye,” Young said. “We want to get to the complex and I think we’re a team that can make a run. I think if we mentally play the game, we can succeed physically.”

She has seen that with what her team has already accomplished in 2023.

“I believe our top nine batters are all combining to hit over .500,” Young “Defensively, we have been pretty solid. I’ve probably got the most complete team I’ve had.”

She wants to put her team in position to show what it can do and then let the players make the plays.

That’s what Pleasant Grove needs when it faces the second game of their brutal back-to-back this week.

The Vikings host the Region 4 leaders from Skyridge on Tuesday and Young hopes they are able to be better prepared because they faced Riverton.

“My hope is that this will get us ready for that,” Young said. “In the last game against Skyridge, we had more unearned runs than we’ve probably had an any game this entire year. If we clean that up, I’m expecting a different outcome.”

Pleasant Grove hosts the Falcons at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.