OREM — It's been a tough season for coach Chris Cooper and the Mountain View baseball team. Last year's region champions have had a hard time putting things together, and none of the bounces seem to have gone their way.
Coming into Tuesday's game with top-ranked Lone Peak, the Bruins had lost their first two region games and were 2-5. But Cooper hopes his squad is starting to turn the corner. Mountain View beat Lone Peak 3-2 in a seven-inning nail biter, sending a clear message to the competition: This team is better then its record might indicate.
"Going into the sixth inning there's not a game that we've been out of," Cooper said when asked about his team's early struggles. "There's a lot of baseball left in the region. I'm just glad to see (the team) bounce back against a high-quality opponent and get a win we needed real bad," Cooper said.
Lone Peak scored two early runs in the third inning and led 2-1 into the final two innings. The Bruins had managed only a single hit.
Finally, in the sixth inning, Danny McCartney got on board for the Bruins with a walk. A deep fly ball by Steve Loveland was dropped by the right fielder, and McCartney came home for the tying run.
Jimmy Little led off Mountain View in the seventh with a walk. Brian Dickinson launched a pitch into the outfield, and Little just beat the throw home.
Cooper was quick to point out his pitching as the biggest difference in the game. Wes Mangum pitched the entire game for the Bruins, giving up seven hits and striking out two batters. Lone Peaks only runs on Mangum came on a two RBI double.
"I thought Wes Mangum really kept them in check as well as anyone will this year," Cooper said. "He's the big reason we hang in there and win that game."