SPRINGVILLE — Bridgett Miller pitched a perfect game through five innings and held on for the win as Spanish Fork finished its sweep through the Region 6 softball season and secured sole possession of the championship trophy with a 5-1 win over league No. 2 Springville on Friday.
"We've never been undefeated in region," Spanish Fork coach Don Andrews said. "But we've got to hit a little bit better (in the playoffs)."
The Dons will be host to West at 4 p.m. Tuesday while Springville will play host to Olympus at the same time in the first round of the state tournament.
Spanish Fork came into the game with a 9-0 region record, and the Red Devils boasted an 8-1 record with their only loss coming to the Dons.
"At first I was kind of nervous, but this morning I woke up and I felt good," Andrews said. "That was the noisiest bus ride I've ever been on."
The first four innings proved to be a pitching and defensive duel as neither team could get anything going, but the Dons took charge in the fifth inning with three hits and four runs.
Kylie Packard took first base after being hit by a pitch, and Miller helped herself for the first time with an infield single. Teresa Barney reached on an error after a wild pitch scored the first run, and the winning Spanish Fork run crossed the plate on the play.
Lauri Howell punched a single to right field to keep the inning going with only one out, and Amy Morris finished off the scoring by singling in two with a hit to right field. The Dons added one run to their final score in the sixth on a Brooke Snell double and a Miller triple that just escaped the outstretched mitt of the Springville center fielder McKenna Nielsen.
Meanwhile, Miller, Spanish Fork's ace, was setting batters down with tight precision and went through 15 straight before surrendering her first hit in the sixth.
"That's one of the best games she's pitched," said Andrews. Miller recorded one no-hitter against a tough Mountain View team this season and pitched a perfect game against Timpview in an early region win.
But the Springville bats finally connected in the sixth as Jessica Tippetts smacked the first pitch of the inning to center field to ruin both the perfect game and no-hit bids. Keri Wilson followed with a single of her own, but the Red Devils couldn't get a run across the plate in the inning.
Natalie Nance belted a hit down the third base line off Miller in the seventh, Kailey Reed walked, and Tippetts knocked her second single of the contest into center field, scoring the only Springville run. But the game ended on a play at second. Both defenses were tough as Springville turned two rare double plays, and Spanish Fork didn't commit a single error.
In other prep games Friday.
REGION 6
AMERICAN FORK 11, PROVO 2:Loraine Davis went 3-for-5 with a double to lead the American Fork offense.
NONREGION
TAYLORSVILLE 7, MURRAY 1: Diana Phillips was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Dabney Sundquist was 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Warriors downed the Spartans. Tahnie Young pitched a complete game, surrendering only one run on five hits.