PROVO — Never underestimate the power of one, just ask the Bingham Miners.

It was one pitch, one out, one inning at a time, from a team that played as one.

"We've done this all year long. The game isn't over until the umpire says it's over," said Bingham's Bret Boyd, who drilled a three-run homer in the sixth inning to cap an 11-run inning during the Miners' 12-10 victory over Taylorsville Friday in the 5A state championship game.

"We've come through all year long and today it paid off," said Boyd, who also had an RBI single in his first at-bat of the sixth.

The Miners, who were held to just one hit in the first five innings, pounded out seven hits in the sixth inning and took advantage of two Taylorsville errors to complete the miraculous comeback.

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"(Before the season) I told the kids to have faith in what our team can accomplish and No. 2, if you play together as a team you'll have a chance to go farther. They've done those two things this year," Bingham coach Joey Sato said.

Bingham lefthander Andy Jangard proved to be the ultimate Warrior beater.

In beating Taylorsville (25-3) one night prior, Jangard entered in the sixth in relief and fanned six in two innings.

Friday night he entered in the seventh and fanned three more. Ironically, Taylorsville slugger and reigning 5A MVP Chad Barben was left standing in the on-deck circle with the tying run on base.

"I was begging for him (Sato) to give me the ball again," Jangard said. "They thought they were going to 10-run us and look where they are now. We're state champions."

Everyone in BYU's Larry H. Miller Field thought the Warriors would win in a rout. Everyone but the Miners.

At one point the Warriors were just one base hit away from invoking the mercy rule and forcing the deciding game.

Taylorsville scored three runs in the first and second innings and two more in the third and fourth before Taylorsville coach Steve Cramblitt pulled several starters, including starting pitcher Barben, who was twirling a one-hitter when he left after three innings.

"I pulled Barben because we were trying to win both games," Cramblitt said. "If you can't hold a nine-run lead then what do you do."

The Miners, who last won the state title in 1999, saw the Taylorsville move in a different light.

"They took their players out thinking the game was over. It's not over," Bingham senior Travis Ohrn said. "We play to the final inning in every single game."

After the mass substitution, the Warriors, who were ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and were ranked as high as fourth nationally, collected just two more hits the rest of the way.

Cramblitt re-entered Barben on the mound with two outs in the sixth with a one-run lead and two runners on to face Boyd, who hit Barben's second pitch over the left-field wall for the three-run homer.

"I was thinking to get Boyd to ground out and come back out the next inning and win the game," Barben said. "It didn't happen that way. He took me yard."

"It was a fastball right down the middle," Boyd said. "It was the pitch I wanted."

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Mike Williams, Cole Anderson, Jared Roberts, Paul Warne also had key hits in the sixth inning. Williams' first hit started the rally and on his second at-bat of the frame he drove in two more.

"We ran our two best pitchers at them in (Mike) Mathews and Barben," Cramblitt said. "Sometimes you can't stop the momentum. I feel bad for the kids and I'm the guy responsible. I make those decisions and I have to live with them."

Jeremy Thomas and Jason Bennion led the Warriors with three hits each. Thomas had two doubles and Bennion had two RBIs.


E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com

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