High school softball: Offensive outburst gives West Jordan the win in Game 1 of 5A championship series

West Jordan 13 Salem Hills 7

A couple of big offensive innings by West Jordan pushed it to victory over Salem Hills 13-7 Thursday in Game 1 of their best-of-3 5A softball championship series.

West Jordan came out dialed in at the plate from the first pitch and put up five runs in the top of the first inning to set the tone for the rest of the game.

“We had a talk on the bus on the way over here and I told them to expect anything. They had to come out ready to go,” said West Jordan head coach McHailee Danner.

“Sometimes it can be a bit of a disadvantage to hit first, but I told them you have to come out hot, ready and start the game with some energy from the get-go. I think that’s what they did and they showed up today.”

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West Jordan also got some clutch pitching from Rita Tavita, who pitched a complete game and struck out seven while walking just three.

The score remained 5-0 until the fourth inning when Salem Hills finally was able to get on the board after West Jordan committed a throwing error that allowed the runner from third base to score.

But West Jordan broke the game wide open in the top half of the fifth inning, scoring four runs on a 3-run triple by Arianna Fjeldsetd and an RBI single by Megan Gray.

“We’re in unchartered territory. West Jordan has never won a championship in softball so we knew there would be a little bit of nerves,” said Danner.

“Putting up those runs at the beginning of the game really helped to calm there and helped the girls understand that they got this. I really just wanted them to come out, be comfortable and just do what they know how to do.”

Salem Hills scored for the second straight inning behind an RBI groundout by Emmery Wilson, but West Jordan added four more runs in the final two innings to make the score 13-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

West Jordan committed five errors in the bottom of the seventh (and seven in all for the game), which allowed Salem Hills to cross the plate five times. Those defensive mishaps are something Danner is hoping to correct heading into Game 2.

“There’s so many uncontrollable things in softball. Attitude, effort, and being relaxed in the box is something that we can control. Constantly reminding them to take a deep breath, sometimes that’s all you really need to reset,” said Danner.

Danner also knows her team is going to need to be prepared to face a Salem Hills team in Game 2 that has its back against the wall after losing Thursday.

“I just told the team that we have been here before. We’ve been in Salem Hills’ position. We lost to Bountiful and had to come back and beat them, so we know they’re going to be hungry,” said Danner.

“They’re going to be coming at us with a vengeance. We’re going to have to be prepared. We have to act like we just lost the game, that this is our last chance to keep going and not let up.”