On paper, the most eye-catching upset on the first day of the 5A baseball tournament on Wednesday was American Fork's 8-5 road triumph over Fremont.
After all, the Cavemen finished seventh in Region 4 while the Silver Wolves were Region 1's second-best team.But American Fork coach Mike Shoell knows his club's record is misleading. "Yes, it was an upset," he said. "But we're a better team than seventh place. That doesn't reflect the caliber of team we have."
American Fork had a hill to climb earlier in the season, having lost a pair of key players to academic problems. "We had to battle through," said Shoell. "We're over that now."
One of the players who has stepped up on top of that hill is sophomore pitcher Aaron Brems, who went the distance for the Cavemen against Fremont.
Toby Christensen had three hits and Kolby Evans added two more, including a triple.
But the key hit for American Fork came in the fourth, when catcher Cam Kelsch broke open a 3-2 game with a three-run home run.
In a losing effort, Brady Broderick went 3-for-4 with three RBI for Fremont.
American Fork plays at Granger, Region 3's third-place team, today. The schedule of today's games is on Page D4.
In Wednesday's other tournament action:
4A BASEBALL
East 12, Ogden 6: Mike Gosling racked up five RBIs and Tim Jaggi collected three hits to lead the Leopards.
Tooele 10, Ben Lomond 0: Trent Pratt pitched the Buffaloes to the shutout win and also doubled. Joey Garrard doubled and tripled for Tooele.
Provo 10, Judge 0: Jed Chrisman belted a grand slam in the fourth inning and Jessie Clark knocked in three runs for the Bulldogs. Jeremy Frampton earned the win.
Payson 9, Logan 5: The Lions scored four runs in the first inning but had to score two more in the sixth.
Granite 3, Mountain Crest 2: The Farmers edged the Mustangs on the road.
Pleasant Grove 9, Woods Cross 4: Josh Bollingbroke hit a two-run homer and a double to lead the Vikings to victory.
5A Baseball
Hillcrest 16, Clearfield 6: After surrendering five runs in the first inning, the Huskies assaulted the Falcons. Leading the way was Dan Woodward and Mike Moon, who combined for seven RBIs.
Alta 11, Roy 0: Lance Jensen and Darin Elggren homered for the Hawks. Jensen also went the distance on the mound.
Viewmont 11, Copper Hills 4: The Vikings had 16 hits, including a 3-for-4 performance from Tim Clark and Greg Carr while pitcher Chad Cullimore had 11 Ks.
Jordan 8, Weber 2: Jeremy Webster blasted a pair of home runs as the Beetdiggers bested the Warriors. Shelby Guest had two hits and three RBI for Jordan.
Cottonwood 10, Hunter 2: Dan Herbat hit a grand slam and Mike Skow recorded seven strikeouts for the Colts.
Granger 5, Bountiful 3: Braden Natter went 2-for-3 and Joe May drove in two runs as the Lancers downed the Braves.
Bingham 4, Timpanogos 0: Kevin Price tossed a two-hitter and had eight strikeouts and J.R. Rentmeister hit a two-run single in the first inning as the Miners blanked the Timberwolves.
Davis 3, Kearns 2: Tyler Henderson had seven strikeouts and Jeremy Lambert homered and Trevor Denham tripled to lead the Darts over the Cougars.
West Jordan 6, Highland 5 (9): Jeff Pincock's RBI single in the ninth inning gave the Jaguars a dramatic win.
Brighton 14, Layton 8: The Bengals pounded out 20 hits and ended the Lancers' fine season. Riley Nickles homered and Mitch Maio threw a complete game for the winners.
Mountain View 10, Northridge 4: The Bruins cruised to an easy victory over the Knights.