PROVO — With runners in scoring position, Provo baseball coach Lance Moore is confident any player on his roster will keep the inning alive with timely hits. On Monday in a 4A elimination game, Moore watched his team come up with 13 hits en route to a 11-0 five-inning win over Cyprus.
"We've hit better with guys in scoring position all year then we have with nobody on," Moore said. "As I look down my lineup I feel comfortable with just about everyone of those guys. Even with guys coming off the bench I feel comfortable putting them in there in situations with chances to drive in runs."
Andrew Law and Brian Chatterton led the Bulldog offensive fireworks with three hits apiece. Eight different Provo batters had hits against Cyprus pitchers Bryan Smith and Joe Ellis.
"I like the approaches we took at the plate," Moore said. "We really battled today."
With Provo's bats and Chris Wright's pitching, the Bulldogs did not allow Cyprus to get into any kind of flow.
Wright tossed a four-hit complete game while striking out two batters. The win was extra satisfying for the Provo pitcher after a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to Murray in the first round of the tournament.
"He battled like the senior we've been waiting for," Moore said. "He's a big-game pitcher. A guy like that keeps guys off the base and makes them put the ball in play. We are making plays behind him."
Provo came up with big plays early and often. The Bulldogs scored their first run in the second inning when Curtis Porter scored on a sacrifice fly by Clint Phillips. Porter led off the inning with a double to right center.
Then in the third inning, the Bulldogs broke the game open with five runs on five hits and one Cyprus error. Drew Hortman led off the inning with a single to right field. Andrew Law followed with a RBI single to left to give Provo a 2-0 lead. Bryce Ayoso then singled to put runners at the corners.
Austin Rowberry followed by platting Law on a single to center to give Provo a 3-0 lead. The Bulldogs proceeded to load the bases after a walk by Porter.
Chatterton then smacked a base clearing double to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
"It was a huge lift when we got the five runs in that inning," Moore said. "That was huge."
Provo scored five more runs in the fifth inning to put the game away. Provo will play Mountain View today at 1:30 at BYU's Miller Park.