OGDEN — The Grantsville Cowboys found out Friday what 24 other baseball teams already knew — if you don't stop No. 1 Pine View early, you're not going to stop them at all.
In their last 14 games, the Panthers (24-1) have scored five runs or more in one inning nine times and six of those have been within the first three innings.
Friday, in the Class 3A semifinals, it was no different.
The Panthers scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning, and then cruised to an 8-3 victory over Grantsville behind a four-hitter from lefty Robert Harmon.
"We came out intense," said Pine View's Matt Irvin, who belted a three-run homer in the first inning. "We knew Bear River and Grantsville thrive on momentum and we had to take it away from them."
The Panthers will play for what Pine View coach Jonathan Howell believes is the school's first-ever state baseball title today at 11:30 a.m. at Lindquist Field against the winner of Snow Canyon and Grantsville — a game that will be played today at 9 a.m. Pine View will have to be beaten twice to surrender the title.
With big innings in two consecutive games (a six-run second against Bear River in the quarterfinals Thursday), the Panthers have sent the Region 11 champion and co-champion (Bear River and Grantsville) to the loser's bracket.<
"It gives us a lot of confidence and it gives our pitchers confidence," Irvin said. "They don't have to worry about giving up a hit here or there."
Harmon gave up two hits to the first two Grantsville hitters and allowed a run, but then he got downright stingy.
In the next four innings he didn't allow a hit and retired the side in order in each inning. He did walk a hitter in the fourth but picked him off first to end the inning.
In the seventh, he walked three and surrendered a two-run single to pinch-hitter Derek Erickson before being pulled one out shy of the complete game.
"I think we were pressing," Grantsville coach Travis McCluskey said. "When you get behind, guys will do that. We were trying to get it back with one swing, and you can't do that."
Pine View had five first-inning hits, and three of them were for extra bases. Besides Irvin's three-run blast, Skyler Ence had an RBI triple and Brad Garrett had an RBI double.
Irvin finished 2-for-3 and Finley had a pair of singles and two RBIs.
In other action Friday:
SNOW CANYON 10, EMERY 0:Jesse Stone fired a complete-game two-hitter and Blake Mickelson went 3-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the defending champion Warriors.
DIXIE 9, BEAR RIVER 6:Trent Tipton and Garrett Messerly had two hits and an RBI each and Matt Tobler drove in two more to pace the Flyers.
SNOW CANYON 10, DIXIE 8: Snow Canyon's Blake Mickelson pitched a complete-game eight-hitter and he also drove in two runs as the defending-champion Warriors stayed alive. Troy Nelson and Garrett Messerly drove in two runs each for the Flyers.