Enterprise had itself an inning. That was the story of the 2A softball state tournament this weekend in Spanish Fork, as the Wolves took down region rival Beaver 5-2 to win the state championship.
Enterprise scored four or more runs in a single inning on nine separate occasions throughout the tournament. No opponent was able to evade their batting bursts, as each fell prey to the Wolves’ unstoppable offensive output. Enterprise’s big innings propelled the school to its second straight state title, following a tournament-less 2020 season.
The Wolves found themselves down 0-2 at the end of the first. That was when the predictable Enterprise inning occurred. The hits began piling up, leading to four runs in the second.
“We knew that we would come back even if they were up by two, with our bats. We told our pitcher (Blakelee Christiansen) that we had her back, that we’d get the runs for her,” Enterprise head coach Katye Jones said. “Little by little (we score runs). We lay off the high ball and get the pitches we want. When their pitchers make mistakes, we just stay focused, put our head down and watch it hit the bat.”
And watch it hit the bat Enterprise did. The Wolves racked up run after run in the second, taking the lead from the Beavers and taking the state title.
The game marked Enterprise’s fourth win over Beaver this year, the second in two days. “We knew we had to take it one game at a time. One game, one pitch, just stay disciplined,” Jones said. “I think because we were disciplined with (our) bats that was the difference in the ballgame.”
The Wolves shut the Beavers out in the final six innings, sticking with a freshman pitcher in Christiansen all game long. “I just know that my infielders and outfielders can back me up so I just did my best to do what I could for my team,” the young pitcher said.
The Beavers could not figure Christiansen out after a two-run first. She struck out six batters, going three up three down in three straight innings.
“We have a little saying on our practice shirts that says ‘All In.’ No matter what you’re doing, anything you are doing, be all in. We asked them to be all in in this softball program and in the things that we taught them, and that’s what they did.” — Enterprise coach Katye Jones
Enterprise added another run in the seventh, pushing its lead to three at 5-2. Junior baserunner Treshor Phelps gave the Wolves the final run on a Maddie Grob single.
As the season began, Jones was not sure what 2021 would bring. “We only had one senior (this year). We lost, because of COVID, 10 players. We didn’t know what to expect. We told them if you are disciplined, you do the things we ask you to do, we are going to be there,” Jones said. “We have a little saying on our practice shirts that says ‘All In.’ No matter what you’re doing, anything you are doing, be all in. We asked them to be all in in this softball program and in the things that we taught them, and that’s what they did.”
The Wolves’ postseason featured a team that seemed to go all in on a particular inning. Enterprise’s commitment to be all in during the moment has paid off, earning it the 2021 2A softball state championship.