High school softball: Riverton shrugs off critical coach’s mistake, beats Bingham to repeat as 6A state champs

Immediately after Riverton’s Whitley Haimin made the coaching mistake of a lifetime that took a three-run home run off the board, her players were quickly there to lift her spirits, just as she’s lifted theirs countless times throughout the season

Haimin somehow forgot to re-enter Peyton Sanchez with the umps after pinch running for her in the fourth inning, which completely wiped away Sanchez’s go-ahead 3-run homer in the fifth inning in Friday’s 6A state championship game.

Instead of leading 8-6 and still batting in the fifth, Riverton trailed 6-5 heading into the sixth inning.

“Obviously I probably made the coaching mistake of the year today, and the way they responded, I feel like I don’t deserve them. Immediately, right off the bat, they’re saying, ‘Hey, we got you. We got you,’” recalled Haimin.

It was massive gut punch regardless, there’s no sugar coating it.

But true to her players’ words, Haimin’s team fought back. After Bingham extended its lead to 7-5 in the top of the sixth inning, Riverton put up a five spot in the bottom of the sixth on its way to a 10-7 championship-clinching win to cap an emotional 14-inning day for the repeat 6A championship.

It was also the program’s fourth state championship in the past five years.

“Obviously winning is fun, but the culture here is different and obviously starts with these kids, but we just have so many people behind us who are making a difference, and then they buy into it, and they continue that awesome tradition,” said Haimin.

Bingham won Game 1 of the best-of-3 championship series on Thursday night 3-1, but Riverton responded with a 5-3 Game 2 win on Friday morning to set the stage for a winner-take-all third game in the nightcap.

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Riverton was humming along leading 5-1 after four innings, but then the fireworks started.

Bingham brought 10 batters to the plate in the fifth, scoring five runs on five hits to take a 6-5 lead, with Brenna Cowley providing the big hit a on a two-run double.

Riverton used two pitchers to get out of the jam, and the damage could’ve been much worse had a base runner not been thrown out at home after running through Bingham coach Mikki Jackson’s stop sign at third base.

Instead of one out and the bases loaded, there were now two outs and the inning ended on a fly ball to deep center.

The Silverwolves had an emphatic response, or so it seemed, in their half of the fifth.

After Sanchez smashed her two-out, three-run homer over the left field fence, rounded the bases and then celebrated with her team at home plate, Bingham’s coach walked slowly to the umpire, knowing the situation.

Instead of Sanchez’s 19th home run of the season and a 4 for 4 performance to that point of the game, she was called out on a simple but important mistake.

With all the momentum again, Bingham manufactured another run in the sixth to stretch the lead to 7-5 as it appeared to be closing in on a 10th state title in school history.

Riverton’s players came back to the dugout and quickly reassured their coach they’d be fine.

“I think it just goes to show how selfless they are. All year we tell them, ‘Hey, play for girl right next to you. Play for your teammates and be selfless.’ That had to be the most selfless thing ever for them to pick me up, right?” said Haimin.

“Usually it’s us trying to hype them up and pick them up, but it was completely opposite, so they’re such an amazing group.”

Everything changed in the bottom of the sixth inning after a leadoff single from Camryn O’Farrell and then Londyn Rentmeister reaching base on a hit batter.

Next up was junior slugger Maggie Hamblin, who’d homered in both games already on Friday. Bingham’s coaches didn’t want to play with fire again and intentionally walked her to load the bases with no outs.

It was a big gamble with freshman sensation Grace Leary on deck, and the youngster made Bingham pay with a bases-clearing triple for the 8-7 lead.

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“G has carried us all throughout the year, even though maybe not getting the result that she wants offensively as much maybe these last couple weeks. But that kid, especially as a freshman, her poise and her ability...her composure is insane,” said Haimin.

“I bet anyone who knows this game, watching that kid doesn’t know that she’s a freshman, just because she’s so calm, cool and collected. Obviously, we had no doubt that she’s going to come through and clutch up.”

The three RBIs extended Leary’s team-leading total to 62 this season, and Riverton tacked on two more runs in the sixth to take a 10-7 lead into the seventh.

Riverton starter Kaelyn Flynn — who was temporarily subbed out in the fifth — was back in the circle for the seventh and struck out the leadoff batter. Following a single from Bingham, Flynn’s defense polished off another state title in grand fashion with a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Hamblin, who reached base safely on five of seven plate appearances Friday, said she was already looking forward to a 3-peat.

“I want to keep going, and I want to win next year when I’m a senior,” she said. “I love my teammates. I love every single one of them. So proud.”