HOLLADAY — Orem coach Paul Clark came unglued with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Bonneville Lakers, to whom the Tigers lost 4-1, and bumped an umpire after being thrown out of the game, creating a question of whether he would be banned from the remainder of the tournament.
He will be out at least one game, pending a further decision.
Clark agrees, saying that he will not be back in his last year as Orem's softball coach, as he is retiring at the end of the season. He argued a strike-ball call as Nad'a Carter stood at the plate, and he was thrown out of the game on his way down the third-base line.
When Clark realized he'd been tossed, he made his way back to the umpire and bumped him. He was later kept away from the umpire and sent off the field by three men, including officials from both Orem and Bonneville.
Prior to the outburst, the Tigers were attempting to come back from three runs down, but Bonneville had none of that. The Lakers decided to take an easier route to the championship bracket this year as they stayed undefeated with the victory over Orem and remained one of only two teams without a loss in the 4A softball tournament.
"We get to relax and come later tomorrow. But if it's seven (games) through the losers' bracket or five through the winners', you take it however you can get it," said Bonneville coach Caro DeMonge.
Bonneville takes on Spanish Fork tonight in the winners' bracket, and Orem will meet Box Elder in the consolation round after the Bees took out the Bountiful Braves.
Orem pitcher Devrie Downey gave up six hits to the Lakers and only one earned run, but the Tigers fell apart mentally in the second inning, giving up four runs on four hits and four errors. The typically solid fielding team found itself unable to catch or throw throughout the inning, though the rest of the game was a typical Tiger outing.
"We got aggressive and it paid off. We stole on the right pitches, and the girls played well," said DeMonge.
Batting first, Shelly Manuel reached on an error and Shay Geakins followed with a walk for the Lakers. Bonneville pitcher Mandy Allen smacked a two-RBI single up the middle. And then everything fell apart for the Tigers as the errors multiplied and Tenniel Cherry and Tiffany Dow both pounded singles off Downey before the whole Orem defense could settle down. Though their defense played tough and didn't allow another Bonneville run, the Tigers couldn't get going offensively.
"Our pitcher played well and helped her cause; any pitcher likes to have a four-run lead," said DeMonge.
After hits in the first by Downey and Marsha Heimuli that didn't result in a score, Orem only recorded one more hit through the next four innings. Heimuli hammered it hard down to deep left field for a long triple and Kristine McKonkie hit her in on a groundout to close the gap to 4-1, but Allen shut the Tigers down through the rest of the game, allowing only five hits and the one earned run.
In other 4A softball playoff games Tuesday:
SPRINGVILLE 12, LONE PEAK 2: Springville used an explosive third inning to score eight runs and send Lone Peak packing in the 4A state tournament. The Red Devils only had to go five innings to dispatch the Knights as Natalie Nance smacked a triple for three RBIs, and Keri Wilson drove in two RBIs. Springville advanced to a second game Tuesday in the one-loss bracket.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 10, PAYSON 0: Mountain View took out Payson, sending the Lions home with their second loss as the Bruins racked up eight runs in the last three innings. Mallary Gillespie went 3-4 with two RBIs, Katie Welling smacked a 2-RBI home run. Mountain View moved on to play Springville in a losers-bracket game later Tuesday.
BOUNTIFUL 8, ROY 1:Rachel Toone led an offensive rally for the Braves when she hit a double that knocked in three runs. The win means Bountiful stays alive in the one-loss bracket, while Roy is eliminated.
BOX ELDER 6, OLYMPUS 0:Maddi Asay led the Bees' stinging offense by going 3-for-3, including a double and two RBIs. Teammate Megan Kostoff hit a bases-loaded triple in the third inning.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 6, SPRINGVILLE 0:Chelsey Mikalauski hit a two-run triple and threw a two-hit shutout to keep the Bruins alive in the one-loss bracket. Springville ends the year with a 15-9 record.
BOX ELDER 10, BOUNTIFUL 7: The Bees rebounded in the third inning, after giving up six runs to the Braves in the second, to score six runs of their own. The win means the Bees stay alive in the one-loss bracket, while the Braves are eliminated with the loss.