SOUTH JORDAN — Bingham's Kevin Williams knows what it is like to be on the outside looking in. Two years ago as a freshman, Williams was cut from the baseball team. He watched as his brother, Mike, starred for a Miners team that went to the semifinals of the state playoffs. He knew at that point that he wanted to be more than just an observer.
"I remember watching my brother and thinking that would be me someday," Williams said. "He really motivated me to go out and work harder. I just went out and threw a lot and worked on my pitches."
The hard work has paid off. Williams is now an integral part of the Miners' run toward a Region 3 title. He picked up the win on the mound Friday as Bingham beat Hunter 15-5 in six innings.
"He (Williams) did very well for us," said Bingham coach Joey Sato. "He may not throw the hardest, but people aren't getting good swings off him. It really is pretty amazing that he has come all the way back from not making the team to being our most consistent guy. He has worked hard and battled to become a top-line guy."
Williams threw 3 2/3 innings to get the victory. He gave up four runs on five hits, walked two and struck out one. Not exactly overwhelming statistics, but he did what was needed as the Bingham offense kept control.
Arguably the best position player in the state, Jonathon Cluff, had not been getting much to hit. With that in mind, Sato decided to put him in the lead-off spot as the team played in California. He figured that if teams walk him, it would hurt more as he could come around and score. The move proved to be a great one for Friday's game. Cluff led off the game with a double and eventually scored the Miners' first run. It was a pattern that was repeated. Cluff finished 3-for-3 with two doubles and a triple. He scored three runs, stole a base and had two RBIs.
"We thought we'd try to get him some pitches," said Sato. "He's still not seeing a whole lot, but he gets on base and scores runs. What more could you ask for in a lead-off guy?"
Besides Cluff, some other Miners had an outstanding offensive day. Zach Swasey did not have an official at-bat, but was walked four times, three of them intentional, and scored two runs. Tyler Tuft had a pair of RBIs. Justin Degiulio added two RBIs, including the game-ending double. K.C. Peck was 4-for-4 with an RBI and Brock Whitney was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Hunter had three players with an RBI: Zak Kilpatrick, Dallas Erickson and KC Sandstrom.
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com