SALT LAKE CITY — Neither Olympus nor Timpview wanted to give this game away as the two teams went to battle on the softball diamond in the first round of the playoffs.

Though the tournament is double elimination, the one-loss bracket is tough to come back through, especially if you lose in the first round. And both teams fought hard not to fall into that hole.

But it was the Titans who came through in the sixth to slide by the T-Birds, 4-2, and into the second round against Bountiful as they came into the tournament on a roll by defeating Murray and Cyprus in league competition and kept right on going by taking care of Timpview.

"I honestly wish I knew why we're suddenly playing so well, but I'm just riding the wave," said Olympus coach Cyndee Bennett.

She noted that the key in the end was just putting the ball into play because opposing pitcher Alicia Talk was keeping the hits to a minimum, allowing only five singles in the contest.

Olympus drew first blood in the bottom of the first with a walk by pitcher Carly Duckworth, who had three on the day, a stolen base and an RBI single to Josie Thamert.

Timpview came back to score on a pair of errors in the third and even things up. It then took the lead in the top of the fifth on a single by Kimmy Bramble, who eventually scored the run on a wild pitch as she collided with the catcher, who then dropped the ball, allowing the run to score. After loading the bases, though, with no outs, the T-Birds couldn't bring any more runs around as they hit into a double play and a groundout to end the inning.

Olympus picked up another run on a single by Kelsey Larsen and the game-tying RBI by Thamert, her second of the game.

It was the bottom of the sixth, however, that will cause the T-Birds a few nightmares as Maddy Rockwood led off with a walk, followed by a Timpview error and a sacrifice bunt. A strike out left runners on second and third with two outs, but it was then that a few Timpview mental mistakes allowed Olympus to take advantage of putting the ball into play.

Kate Andrus picked up the two-RBI single to the infield as the T-Birds suffered through some miscues, putting the Titans into the second round of the winners' bracket.

"We've been working hard on the mental part of the game, working hard on staying focused, and it's helped," said Bennett.

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The T-Birds are playing in tournament action for the first time since 2002 and are hoping to make it to Valley Complex after taking on West in the second round of the one-loss bracket.

Susan Vogtman continued her hot hitting by picking up a double and two singles for the T-Birds, Chelsey Chapworth added a pair of singles, and Talk walked three times in addition to picking up a hit and seven strikeouts.

The T-Birds stranded 10 runners.


E-mail: jolsen@desnews.com

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