DRAPER — It appeared to be a bad omen of things to come when Morgan pitcher Whitney Titus struck out Wasatch twins Janeece and Jarrell Veazie in quick succession to end the first inning.
Fears of no hits and multiple strikeouts certainly dominated the thoughts of Wasps coach Gary Roberts. And he knew neither sister could endure a slump if Wasatch harbored hopes of beating the Trojans.
"We are only as good as they are," Roberts said. "If they rise up better than everyone else, then so will we."
Fortunately for the Wasps, the Veazie sisters had no trouble rising to the occasion after those initial strikeouts. Together they powered Wasatch to a 10-4 victory on Saturday morning in the first round of the 3A softball tournament at Juan Diego High.
Janeece struck out five batters through her first three innings in the pitcher's circle to get the sparks flying for the Wasps. Jarrell turned those sparks into flames with a pair of home runs that broke the game open.
Her first, a two-run homer in the bottom of the third, capped off a five-run spurt and put Wasatch in control with a 5-1 lead. The ball popped up to right field and took a friendly bounce off the yellow plastic covering crowning the outfield fence.
The second, a leadoff shot in the fifth that Jarrell crushed over the fence, helped the Wasps stave off a Morgan rally. The Trojans had cut Wasatch's lead to 5-3 earlier in the inning after Kami Poll and Kevi Reed each took turns driving in a run.
Following that second home run, the Wasps went on another blitz — scoring four more times in the sixth to crush any lingering threat of another Morgan comeback attempt.
Roberts had urged his team to relax and just swing after Morgan took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. They seemed to loosen up once Makayle Price belted a triple deep into right field and drove in McKell Oldham for the tying run.
"We were all just a little tense and excited," Jarrell Veazie said. "We just had to relax and play our game. And then we did good."
Although it earned a second seed out of Region 10, Wasatch looked at itself as an underdog going into Saturday's game. The Wasps accumulated a 10-12 record during the regular season and know most teams aren't expecting much from them.
But Roberts said he thinks if his players can keep prospering at the plate, the Wasps' chances of making some postseason waves will keep getting better. Things definitely look good in that area right now. In its last three games alone, Wasatch has outscored its opposition 39-5.
E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com