SPRINGVILLE — Lehi relief pitcher Derek Hermansen must have heard the teeth chattering in the bleachers, because he did all he could Monday afternoon to shorten the time that baseball fans had to spend in the cold.
More importantly, by not giving up a hit in four and two-thirds innings of relief, he helped the Pioneers hold off the Springville Red Devils 9-5 for an impressive preseason road win. Hermansen came in with the bases loaded and one out in the third and the game tied 5-5, and ended that frame with a strikeout and flyout to keep the game even.
Hermansen then allowed only two Springville batters to reach the rest of the way, one by a walk and the other on a hit batter. The Red Devils did not have a runner get past first base over the final four innings. Of the 14 batters that Hermansen retired, seven were on ground outs.
Hermansen also delivered a key two-out double in the second that got the Pioneers rolling on offense. That double to left drove home two runs and tied the game 2-2. It also opened the door for three more two-out RBIs, one each from Trevor Anderson, Josh Swenson and Brandon Anderson. The five-run inning was aided by two Springville errors. For the game, the Red Devils committed an uncharacteristic six errors.
Springville's two runs in the first came on an RBI single by Ben Doxey and a sacrifice fly by Isaac Allred. After Lehi had taken its 5-2 lead, the Red Devils scored twice in the bottom of the second to trim the lead to one. Both of those runs crossed on Jeff Boyd's two-run single to right. One of the runners to score was Eric Bulow, who led off the frame with a double — which happened to be Springville's only extra-base hit.
The Red Devils loaded the bases in the third on two walks and an error. Another walk, this one to Trevor Jeffers, forced the tying run home. But Lehi coach Patrick Gleaves then relieved starter Trevor Anderson with Hermansen, who ended the damage right there.
The Pioneers scored their final four runs in the fourth. The blast that put the Pioneers ahead for good was Trevor Anderson's lead-off homer to right. The dinger topped off an excellent day at the plate for Anderson, which also included a single and double. The next three runs were all unearned. One scored when a throw on a sacrifice bunt sailed into right field. The other two scored when a wide throw from third to first was kicked away and then rolled slowly toward the outfield.
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com