PROVO — Lone Peak's 8-5 win over defending state champion Springville had more hits and runs than expected, but the difference in the game was still pitching and defense.
Springville ace Mark Pawelek, who hadn't lost a game since his freshman year, came into the Class 4A winners bracket game with a 9-0 record this season and an earned-run-average below 0.50. Against Lone Peak, however, he was behind in the count on most hitters, hit four batters and put the lead-off runner on in each of the first five innings.
"That's a big thing in baseball to get the lead-off man on. It was big for us," Lone Peak coach Dan Schoonover said.
Pawelek also gave up a season-high 11 hits and struck out only six, well below his double-digit average.
Lone Peak pitcher Benji Woahn, on the other hand, was constantly ahead in the count, didn't walk a batter and struck out nine — with most of his Ks coming with men on bases. He did scatter 12 hits, but only one for extra bases.
"The first pitch is huge. Once you can get up 0-2 or 1-2 on a hitter, you're basically in control," Woahn said.
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The Knights' success against Pawelek could be the result of the batting practice they took Monday against Todd Newman, a former minor league lefty and the father of Lone Peak reserve pitcher Jason Newman.
"We've been preparing all week to beat Pawelek, and it's just awesome to do it," Woahn said.
Even though Lone Peak was connecting at the plate, Springville also made two critical errors that led to two big Lone Peak innings. After the Red Devils had taken a 2-0 first-inning lead on a two-out, two-run single by Alex Johnson, the Knights scored three runs in the second to go up 3-2. Tyler Hogge scored one with a double to the fence, but the final two scored after right fielder Trevyn Smith mishandled a fly ball.
Springville tied the game 3-3 in the third when Brian Bulow smacked a single to left to score Matt McCoy. The Knights' four-run fourth was the killer. The lead-off runner reached when Springville shortstop Scott Pickering dropped a fly ball to short left-field. The next two batters reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Woahn followed with a two-run single to left. Matt Bezzant knocked in another run with a single, and the fourth scored on a ground out.
Bulow closed the gap to 7-5 with a two-run double to the right-field wall in the fifth. But after Lone Peak had added an insurance run in the sixth, the Red Devils stranded two in the sixth and another in the seventh.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com