Payne Moses is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Christian High School for AZPreps365.com.

GILBERT – After a first-inning three-run home run by Gilbert Christian catcher Tyler Burr, the Knights survived a pair of late jams on Monday night to defeat Payson, 7-2, at Titan Solar Park in Gilbert.

Burr’s shot over the right field fence was complemented by starting pitcher Jackson LaRouche, who struck out eight en route to 5.1 scoreless frames. The sophomore right-hander retired nine of the first 11 Longhorn batters on 83 pitches.

The second at-bat by Payson third baseman Zach Young was a repeat of the first – a single. Then, up came Nolan Keeney, who hit a hard ball toward the left field line and appeared to start a rally in the fourth inning.

But Knights junior Nate Nielsen had other ideas. He successfully snowconed the ball in his glove after his sprint ended in an all-out dive. LaRouche retired the next two Longhorns via a strikeout and 6-3 ground out. 

“I’ve been struggling (this season) and I was like, ‘This game, just play loose, just let it all out,’” Nielsen said. “For some reason, I just felt like (Keeney) was going to hit it to me, and there was a full count, so I was ready no matter what.”

Despite a nightmarish start for Payson starting pitcher Evan Finkler (walk, walk, home run), he settled down by silencing six consecutive Knights. The junior nearly put three straight zeros on the scoreboard if not for an inside-the-park home run by Gilbert Christian center fielder Sam Webb. Webb, a senior speedster and running back on the football team, golfed a ball to center and converted a sure double into four bases following an errant throw to third by Payson’s Evan Fuller.

“I’ve just faced a lot of teams that can really hit, like this one,” Finkler said. “I think it’s helping (to play this type of competition) because a lot of us haven’t seen that velocity. So, I think it’s definitely preparing us for the second half of the season when it really matters.”

Monday was Payson’s fifth regional contest in just eight games this season. The Longhorns’ (4-4, 2-3) most recent result was a 7-0 loss to 3A Metro East leader Northwest Christian (7-1, 5-0) last Thursday. Gilbert Christian (6-1, 4-1), second in 3A Metro East, completed an early mini gauntlet for coach Brian Young’s squad, facing the top two teams in the region.

“We’re very young. We’re starting four, maybe five sophomores at a time,” Young said. “I think identity-wise, we’re still building that at times. We’re learning how to win games in different ways. … We just needed to snowball a little bit more out of (the offense), and just didn’t quite get enough.”

Discipline, discipline, discipline

Gilbert Christian made the most out of their plate appearances, only recording two strikeouts and working four walks. Eight of nine possible Knights reached base at least once and four did so multiple times (Dane Coyle and Webb reaching on three occasions).

“We’ve been doing a good job staying even keel, no matter (what),” Knights coach Josh Bailey said. “We don’t get too high on the home runs or too low on the errors or the misplays.”

Gilbert Christian's offense has recorded 27 strikeouts through seven games, for a little under four per outing as a team.

Burr, one of the seven Knights to not go down on strikes, has yet to strike out through seven games his senior campaign. In three-plus seasons at Gilbert Christian, Burr has only been struck out 12 times in 226 at-bats.

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Payson 

• Young has successfully hit in seven of eight games for the Longhorns and pulled off his third multi-hit performance. 

• Keeney’s 11 hits this season (0 for 3 on Monday) are already more than double his end-of-year total in 2024 (five).

Gilbert Christian

• With a 2-for-3 statline at the plate (double, single, walk), Coyle has hit in 14 of 15 games (including non-counting invitational games). His game-high for hits was four in a 22-0 home win over Bourgade Catholic on March 18.

• LaRouche doubled his innings pitched from his first start against Payson (he threw 2.2 scoreless frames against Bourgade Catholic).

Key sequence

Following LaRouche’s seventh straight retirement of a Longhorn batter, he surrendered a right-field gap single in the top of the sixth to sophomore Nathan Tsosie, who had replaced Fuller. The bases were quickly loaded up after LaRouche hit Young with a pitch and walked Keeney. 

Bailey then gave the ball to sophomore Asher McIntire with just one out earned. Four pitches added up to Payson’s third straight free pass and first run on the board. A 6-3 groundout did more damage, as sophomore Hunter Weinland carded the RBI and got Young home.

One final walk – the Knights had only issued one in the first five innings – loaded the bases again for McIntire. Finkler, the eighth Longhorn to bat in the inning, flirted with an infield single but Knights shortstop Micky Moran made a nifty closeout on the ball and threw the runner out at first. 

What could have been a crooked number for Payson – and potentially a game-changer – ended up being a minimal price for Gilbert Christian to pay.

“You never want to be in those situations, but it’s good to be in those situations because it does prepare you,” Bailey said. “That situation doesn’t feel any easier, no matter when it is.”

Up Next 

Gilbert Christian (6-1, 4-1) faces long-time rival Valley Christian (4-0, 3-0) on Wednesday with first pitch at 6:30 p.m. at Titan Solar Park.

Payson (4-4, 2-3) squares off with Apache Junction (4-1, 2-1) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the first of three straight home games.