These days, the Dixie Flyers are big believers in the theory that pitching wins games . . . and hitting isn't bad to have, either.
The Flyers advanced to Friday's 3A baseball championship game behind the two-hit pitching of Max Jolley, as they shocked Springville 13-1 at Derks Field Thursday night.Dixie can win the title in Friday's 4:30 game at Ken Price Park by beating Murray. If the Flyers lose, a 7 p.m. contest will be played to decide the champ, because Murray has already lost one game in the tournament and Dixie is undefeated.
"I hope we're not overconfident," said Dixie Coach Robert Wilstead. "This is an area where you can't get overconfident."
Whatever the mood of the Flyers, it has to be good going into the final day of competition. A half-dozen Dixie players are batting over .450 for the tournament. And pitching? "I've still got pitchers I haven't used," said Wilstead. "We brought 10 pitchers we thought we could use in the tournament."
Nate Andrus doubled home a pair of runs in the fifth and Jolley's grounder boosted Dixie's lead to 12 runs.
Jolley faced Springville in the bottom of the fifth, retiring the side with nothing more serious than a walk to Chad Gottfredsen. The game was halted after five innings under the 10-run rule.
Dixie's season record improved to 20-4.
Murray 12, West 11
The Spartans are in the state championship round for the third time in four years, having outlasted West.
With the pitching getting thin late in the tournament, it was not a game of finesse. West finished with 17 hits and Murray 12. The Spartans' Jeremy Shaw had two hits, including a triple, while Jeremy Cooper added a two-for-three night. Both drove in three runs each.