OREM — Orem softball coach Paul Clark can cross one more big item off his team's checklist for the year.
When the season started, Clark already had a clear plan in mind for getting his team through the state tournament. Step one: Get home-field advantage in the first two games and then win them.
The Tigers successfully completed the first step with a 6-0 win over Payson on Thursday afternoon.
"Our goal," Clark said, "was to get two home games and win two home games and put ourselves in a good situation. That's what we've done."
From here on out, it will be one game at a time for the Tigers, who stand just two wins away from the championship game.
"Our girls are focused," Clark said. "They feel like we've got a shot to win it all."
Pitcher Devrie Downey led the way for Orem, throwing a two-hitter to record the shutout. Downey also had seven strikeouts and didn't allow a single Payson runner to advance past second base.
Offensively, the Tigers jumped out to a quick first-inning lead and never looked back.
Delyse Downey led off for Orem and was walked. Stacie Peay followed with a single, and Devrie Downey hit a double to deep center field to score the first run.
Two batters later, Jamie Layton hit another double that scored two more runs. Layton came home on a wild pitch moments later, and the score was 4-0.
"We scored six runs off a pretty good pitcher including a jump on her right in the first inning," Clark said. "To come out and get four runs right off I think was a big key for us."
The score stayed the same until the fourth inning when Peay came to the plate with Delyse Downey on first base and Allie Hatch at third. Clark took a gamble and called a play to try and steal second base. Downey got caught in a rundown and was eventually tagged out, but not before Hatch sneaked home for another run and a 5-0 Tiger lead.
"We do that a lot," Clark said. "We work on that play all the time. We feel like it's a darn tough play to throw from second back to home, so we're going to do that most of the time."
Orem put the final run on the board in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single with the bases loaded by Kristine McConkie.
"We're going to take this experienced team and seize the moment," Clark said. "We feel like we've got as good a chance as anybody."