SPANISH FORK — Kylee Steadman was at the plate with a runner on second and two outs. She had the unenviable task of saving the Pioneers from elimination in the 3A state softball tournament once again.
And like she had numerous other times during the tournament, she came up with a hit. But this time it couldn't save Lehi from a loss that eliminated the Pioneers from the 3A one-loss bracket Friday afternoon as they fell to co-region 8 champion North Sanpete, 2-0.
"I saw her going, and I thought in my head, 'Lacey, I hope you catch this,' " said Hawks centerfielder Kailee Christiansen, who made several great defensive plays, including throwing out Lehi's Megan Zimmerman as she tried to score what would have been the Pioneers' first run.
Instead, thanks to the dead-on throw and great snag-and-tag by Hawks catcher Lacey Collard, it was the game's final out.
"This was a tough game," said North Sanpete coach Chad Larsen. "Lehi is always tough. . . . We've struggled today with our bats, but our defense has always been strong."
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He said he never doubted Christiansen could make the throw, something she said she's had to do numerous times this season.
"She's had a great year," Larsen said. "She's got a strong arm, and her throws are always right on."
The first-year head coach said the team was extremely disappointed to lose its first game of the day Friday.
"But the girls don't let things get them down and keep them down," he said. Both Lehi and North Sanpete were sent from the winners' bracket during 11 a.m. games against Bear River and Tooele, respectively. North Sanpete then defeated Grantsville, 1-0, while Lehi played a very dramatic and much longer game against Snow Canyon, which it won 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a single by Steadman.
Both pitchers, Lehi's McKensy Hillstead and North Sanpete's Mandy Johnson, threw very solid games with Johnson earning seven strikeouts, and Hillstead issuing just a single walk.
The game turned from a defensive duel when Jessica Aagard smacked a double with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Haylee Larsen then hit a fly to left field that was dropped and Aagard made it home for the game's first run.
Chelsea Bird scored the team's second run in the sixth inning on Larsen's single.
Lehi coach Kale Gillman said he thought his team was a little weary from the close games and emotional stress.
"I thought we looked a little tired," he said. "We didn't act like we wanted to run the bases very much."
But he said he's still extremely pleased by the team's season.
"We graduated three or four seniors, and we have a young team," he said, pointing out his pitchers are a sophomore and a junior. "Some of our juniors didn't have very much varsity experience, so I was a little bit worried. . . . But I'm tickled with the season."
North Sanpete now has to prepare to play Bear River/Tooele at 10 a.m. today for a chance to play for the 3A title.
3A PLAYOFFS
TOOELE 5, NORTH SANPETE 0: The Buffalo offense was too hot for the Hawks to handle as Tooele shut out Region 8's No. 3 seed in the quarterfinal round of the championship bracket.
The Buffaloes had seven hits in the win, including Tenneal Bryant's double and Jessica Howsden's triple.
BEAR RIVER 6, LEHI 5: Erica Park came in and threw three and two thirds scoreless innings to earn the save for the Bears. She entered the game during a furious Pioneer rally and shut them down. Then the Bears offense earned them the edge in the sixth inning, and she allowed just one hit the rest of the game.
TOOELE 2, BEAR RIVER 1: Meghan Wilson and Lindsey Palmer combined for seven strike outs in the Buffaloes' win over the Bears in semifinal action. Catcher Ashley Arbon smacked a triple and then scored on Brandi Allen's single for the winning run.
GRANTSVILLE 6, CARBON 1: The Cowboys played a solid defensive game and then earned six hits in their bid to stay alive in the one-loss bracket. The loss eliminated the Dinos.
SNOW CANYON 13, UNION 0: The Warriors stayed alive in the one-loss bracket with a route of the Cougars. Snow Canyon opened up with a six-run inning and had 10 hits, including Alex Davis' double and Cheyenne Nikolas' triple.
NORTH SANPETE 1, GRANTSVILLE 0: The Hawks managed a run against the solid defense of the Cowboys in what was otherwise a solid pitching duel. Lacey Larsen hit a double in the win that sent the Hawks to the 4 p.m. game against North Sanpete, while the loss eliminated the Cowboys.
LEHI 5, SNOW CANYON 4: Kylee Steadman hit a double to tie the game for the Pioneers in the fifth inning, and then after hitting five foul balls she smacked a single that knocked in the winning run, scored by Megan Zimmerman.
The win set the Pioneers up for a re-match with region-rival North Sanpete, a team they split with in league play. The loss eliminated the fourth-ranked Warriors.
E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com