High school baseball: Riverton sweeps Taylorsville in 6A Super Regional

Riverton advanced to the final stages of the 6A state tournament behind a 10-1 victory in Game 2 of their Super Regional matchup against Taylorsville. The Silverwolves swept the series two games to none, including a 5-1 win on Friday. The victory marked Riverton’s sixth straight win while allowing just a single run or fewer.

In Game 1, the Warriors grabbed an early one-run lead in the top of the second inning before a rally by Riverton. The game script repeated itself in the second game as Taylorsville scored a run in the top half of the first frame on an RBI by Brody Muhlestein. 

The Silverwolves reassembled and immediately picked up a couple of runs before a monster six-run third inning. The inning was sparked by a patient offense that saw numerous Riverton batters fight their way to hitter counts. Zach Edwards was able to smack a double to bring in two runs before Josh Jacobson hit a fly ball over the centerfielder for a bases-clearing triple. Riverton pushed the lead to nine runs in the fourth inning but the offense slowed down a little bit after it started raining and the wind picked up, coming right towards home plate.

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“We have been in both positions throughout the year, we have been on top and we have been below,” said Riverton coach Jay Applegate. “Regardless of the score, just keep competing. These guys have done a real good job that when they’ve got behind, they have been able to find a way to catch up and get the lead.” 

After the Silverwolves grabbed the lead, the pitching shut down the Warriors offense for the rest of the game. Edwards recorded the win, allowing one run in three innings. Tryston Musgrove and Braden Nelson each pitched two innings of relief, allowing just a single hit over the final four frames combined.

“Regardless of the score, just keep competing. These guys have done a real good job that when they’ve got behind, they have been able to find a way to catch up and get the lead.” — Riverton coach Jay Applegate

The Riverton defense has been outstanding all season, as they are currently just one of four 6A teams who have yet to allow 100 runs on the season, a list that includes fellow top seeds American Fork, Pleasant Grove, and Layton. A deep pitching staff led by Sam Beck paired with a great infield and strong outfield have made it difficult for opponents to generate runs. As the tournament gets sped up and teams are playing a minimum of once a day, pitching staff depth is often a deciding factor in who moves on and who goes home. The Silverwolves should be in a good position to utilize this advantage.

“Coming in, we were excited about our pitching staff, but a lot of guys didn’t have varsity experience. As we have progressed through the season, that has been our big strength—our pitching and our defense. Now if we can get our bats going, we feel really good heading into next week,” said Applegate.

Riverton will continue their quest for their first state championship on Monday morning when they take on Layton at UVU. The teams met in their season openers with the Lancers prevailing 7-0 behind a masterful pitching performance from Cam Day. Now over two months later, both teams have found their groove for what should be an exciting matchup between two of the top defenses in the state. 

When asked what his team needed to do next week, Applegate commented, “The teams that we do play are always a matchup with who is pitching, Layton has one of the best pitchers in the state. We will just go in loose and try to have some fun so we will see what happens.”