We’ve spent a lot of time on fake bunt slaps, bunting, and for the most part, that’s kind of what helped us earlier today and last night against Tooele. We feel pretty good about bunting. – Bear River head coach Calvin Bingham
TAYLORSVILLE — Bear River head coach Calvin Bingham has repeatedly said this year’s team is one of the best hitting squads he’s ever had.
But it wasn’t their power that helped the top-ranked team earn a come-from-behind 2-1 win over second-ranked Juab Friday afternoon.
“We felt like we had to play a little bit of small ball and stir things up a little bit,” Bingham said after the Bears earned a berth in Saturday’s championship game at noon, where they will meet the winner of the Juab/Tooele play-in game, which will start at 9:30 a.m. Tooele earned a 10-2 win over Cedar City to earn a shot at Juab.
“We’ve spent more time on it this year than we ever have,” Bingham said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on fake bunt slaps, bunting, and for the most part, that’s kind of what helped us earlier today and last night against Tooele. We feel pretty good about bunting.”
And they should.
Not only did they lay down some textbook bunts, but they also defended the short game as well.
“I gotta give a lot of credit to (Taylor Fox, catcher, and Dacia Hobbs, third base),” Bingham said. “We went into this year knowing we would have a new catcher and a new third baseman. We didn’t know exactly how well they would play, and I think they just played outstanding ball. I can’t give them enough credit.”
Fox and Hobbs were critical in securing the win for the Bears as they teamed up to throw Juab’s Rylee Bryan out as she attempted to steal third in the top of the seventh inning.
It was the Wasps who managed to score first Friday, when Kloie Park got on base with a single. Olivia Durbin advanced her with a bunt, and then Kaitlyn Sperry’s sacrifice bunt advanced both runners.
Josie Richards laid down a bunt and was thrown out, but the attempt at a double play when awry when the throw hit the bat dropped by Richards and bounced high over catcher Taylor Fox’s head. That allowed Park to score the Wasps' only run.
The Bears countered with their own version of small ball, and seemed to catch the Wasps off guard a couple of times with their speed and base running.
After Kylie Larkin walked in the bottom of the fourth, she stole second base. Then Brenna Hinck laid down a bunt and both runners were safe after the Wasps hesitated on the throw to second.
Oakli Rhodes advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, and then Kapri Toone bunted, which scored Larkin and advanced Hinck. Sydni Sorenson followed with an almost identical bunt, and a Wasp miscue at home allowed Hinck to score.
The Wasps looked poised to even the game in the top of the seventh as Rylee Bryan hit a single to get on base. She advanced on a sacrifice bunt from Mikenlee Bryan, and then the Bears walked Taylei Williams for the third time in the game. Rylee Bryan was tagged out stealing third when she slid past the base and was tagged by an alert Dacia Hobbs to end the game.
“She has just been really solid,” Bingham said. “She’s only had two or three passed balls all year.”
Fox said she was frustrated when the ball hit the bat, allowing the run to score.
“I’m glad we pulled that out with the one run,” she said of the final out she and Hobbs teamed up to make. “That was fun.”
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