The Valley Christian Trojans softball team rode a dominant performance from ace pitcher Taya Clausen to a 4-0 win over the Florence Gophers on April 3rd. Clausen was nearly untouchable in the circle, striking out 16 batters while allowing just one hit and two walks over a complete seven inning shutout.

Valley Christian struck first in the bottom of the second when Abrielle jarles launched a solo home run to left field (her sixth of the season), giving the Trojans an early spark. The momentum carried into the third inning, where Addi Ballantyne's sacrifice fly and Ryann Nelson's RBI single down the left field line extended the lead 3-0.

Nelson led the way offensively, going 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Corinne Rodgers also notched two hits, while the Trojans worked Florence pitcher Erin McCabe for seven walks. Lo Colvin and Sophie Kercsmar each drew two free passes. On the base paths, Valley Christian applied pressure all game long, swiping five bases – including two from Makay Fraley.

Clausen kept the Florence offense in check from start to finish, mixing speeds and locating pitches with precision. "My mindset going in was just to stay locked in and trust my stuff," Clausen said after the game. "Once I found my rhythm, I just focused on executing one pitch at a time and keeping their hitters of balance."

Florence struggled to get anything going against Clausen's command and velocity. Kamie Rice recorded the Gophers' only hit of the game.

Valley Christian improved their conference record to 5-0 after this win and carried the momentum into their next few games.