SPRINGVILLE — Taking nothing away from the pitching performance Wednesday of Springville starter Brian Bulow, but there's a few dirt clods around second base that might deserve credit for the Red Devils moving on in the winners bracket of the Class 4A baseball playoffs.

Springville scored a run in the sixth on a bad-hop single to tie it and another in the seventh on a grounder that took a Red Devils' late bounce to defeat Bonneville 3-2.

"We finally got the bounces going our way this time and it got us the two runs we needed," said Springville catcher Alex Johnson, who delivered the game-winning hit for the second straight playoff game.

Despite occasional control problems, Bulow was stellar on the hill. The junior righty hit a batter and walked four, but he allowed only four hits and struck out eight. Five of those Ks were inning-enders with Lakers runners on base.

"He's a smart pitcher and he did a great job of getting out of some jams," Springville coach Willy Child said.

However, had it not been for a bit of late fortune, Bulow could easily have been the loser. The Red Devils were trailing 2-1 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth when Trevyn Smith reached on a booted grounder to third. Trevor Graves followed with a seeing-eye grounder up the middle. Still, Bonneville starter Tanner Jugler, who had stranded seven Springville runners in the first five innings, appeared to be out of another jam when Scott Pickering hit another grounder to the right side of second base.

But just as second baseman Joey Dysert was preparing to scoop up the ball, it took a high bounce and glanced off his cheek and into shallow right field — allowing Smith to score the tying run.

"At first I thought it was up the middle but then I thought he was going to get it," Pickering said.

After Bulow struck out Dysert to end the top of the seventh with the go-ahead run on second, Springville came to bat in the bottom half with a chance to win. Mark Pawelek led off with an infield hit that Dysert made a diving stop on but couldn't get up in time to throw Pawelek out. Matt McCoy followed with a high hopper to third that was again booted, putting runners on first and second. Juggler struck out the next batter, bringing Johnson to the plate.

Jugler got ahead of Johnson 1-2, but couldn't get the strike-out pitch past him. Johnson reached out and slapped a fast ball past Jugler and left of second. It looked like a diving Brett Stephens might be able to knock the ball down, but it bounced barely over his glove and into center field. Pinch runner Bridger Frampton beat the throw home for the game-winning run.

"He struck me out the first two times on outside fastballs, so I went with it a little bit more this time and it just happened to go through," Johnson said.

Springville's first run came in the first when Pawelek singled home Pickering on another hit up the middle. Bonneville took the lead in the fifth when Alex Hall ripped a two-out double to right-center field, scoring Aric Hutchison and Stephens — only the third and fourth earned runs that Bulow has allowed in 45 innings this season. But Bulow retired seven of the next eight hitters he faced.

"When guys are on he gets tougher and hits his spots," Child said.

Springville advances to face Lone Peak at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Miller Park at BYU. The Knights were 15-1 winners Wednesday over Murray.

In other 4A playoff games Wednesday:

LONE PEAK 15, MURRAY 1: The Knights exploded with nine runs in the first inning and had little trouble from there with their defense, holding the Spartans to four hits and one run.

TIMPANOGOS 12, CYPRUS 0:Mac Nelson threw a one-hitter and struck out 12 to lead Timpanogos over the Pirates. Alex Wolf hit a double and a home run.

OLYMPUS 8, SKY VIEW 6:Eric Fairbourn went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. John Tillou had the clutch base hit with the bases loaded in the fifth inning with the game tied to score two runs in the Titans' six-run-rally.

MOUNTAIN VIEW 13, BOUNTIFUL 5:Bryan Dickinson went 4-for-4, including a three-run homer, in leading the Bruins past the Braves in the consolation bracket. Dickson also picked up the victory, while Jimmy Little chipped in with two doubles and Chris Benson went 4-for-5.

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PROVO 5, MOUNTAIN CREST 3:Bruce Ayoso hit a solo shot in the third inning and cleared the bases on a double in the sixth inning to give the Bulldogs the lead for good in their come-from-behind victory against the Mustangs in the first round of the 4A playoffs.

SPANISH FORK 7, LOGAN 2: Spanish Fork's Nick Welsh hit two solo home runs in the fourth and fifth innings and Jordan Daley shut down Logan's batters with a two-hitter, striking out six batters. Logan's season ended with the loss.

WEST 9, AMERICAN FORK 5:Tuckett Slade went 3-for-4 with a double and home run, and Pete Babalis came back from a shoulder injury to scatter six hits with 13 strikeouts in West's win. The loss eliminates American Fork.


E-mail: jimr@desnews.com

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