High school baseball: American Fork weathers crucial mistake and earns another 6A crown with win over Lehi

American Fork’s loaded lineup scores a lot of runs and its depth through all nine batters often separates it from other teams.

That depth showed through in Saturday’s championship game with American Fork’s bottom of the lineup hitters having clutch hits as it beat defending champion Lehi 6-2 and won its third state title in five years.

“Every game has been different people,” said American Fork head coach Jarod Ingersoll, “One through nine stepping up and just getting the job done. It’s been awesome to watch them pass the baton and be unselfish at bat.

The Cavemen dominated Lehi in Friday’s game one of the 6A championship series. Lehi didn’t score a single run in game one and American Fork earned a 10-0 mercy-rule victory.

However, Saturday’s game was much different.

It was a lightning quick first two innings as tight pitching and defenses fielded fast outs. The first run in the game didn’t come until the top of the third inning as American Fork’s ninth batter Brandon Upham hit his third homerun of the year.

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All three of Upham’s homeruns this season were scored against Lehi.

“I just got up there and I knew I had to get the job done for my team to get us started,” Upham said. “He threw me two sliders in the dirt and I knew I was going to get a fastball, and then he threw me a fastball and I knew I had to make them pay.”

The 1-0 lead was short lived as Lehi’s Ozzie Williams responded with a single. With Lehi’s next batter at the plate, Kenny Johnson attempted to throw Williams out but overthrew his first basemen.

The ball got stuck under the gate wall behind the first base plate at UVU‘s UCCU Ballpark, which allowed Williams to get home. A long deliberation ensued between the umpires and Ingersoll but ultimately Lehi was awarded the run and the 1-1 tie.

“That’s a new one to me. The ball goes out of play and it’s three bases,” Ingersoll said. “But hey, we talked all year about moving past things and I didn’t want to let it go, but I knew I had to let it go. The kids did a great job being resilient and not being fazed by it.”

It seemed like the error was going to be costly as it stayed tied 1-1 through five innings, but the American Fork offense unloaded in the fifth inning.

First the Cavemen had two base hits and a walk to load the bases. River Litke then had a hit-by-pitch to score a go-ahead run.

With the bases still loaded, Max Miller had a crucial double which scored three runs. Then Miller was hit home with another base hit from Upham.

“I just trusted my guys,” Miller said. “Bases loaded, I knew something was going to happen there.”

American Fork still held its commanding 6-1 lead after the top of the seventh. Lehi made things a bit closer with an RBI single from Williams. But with two runners on base, Johnson fielded a ground ball to second base, which was then thrown to first for the double play and the 6A championship win.

Johnson threw six strikeouts and earned the win on the mound for the Cavemen. Through both 6A championship series games, American Fork surrendered only two runs while scoring 16 of its own.

“Our pitching has been awesome,” Ingersoll said. “We have pitching coaches that work in harmony with each other and it was evident out there. Then Kenny (Johnson) just came out and just did his job like he’s done all year. Super proud of him for what he was able to accomplish as a junior.”

Saturday’s win marked the third championship in five years for American Fork. The Cavemen have also reached the 6A title series four of the past five years.

It was American Fork’s 12th championship in school history and fifth under Ingersoll. The Cavemen now have more championships than any school in the state not named Bingham.

“I wish it was that easy and that common around here,” said Ingersoll. “It’s a credit to the kids that we’ve had come through the program that buy in our coaching staff and our community that loves baseball. AF is a baseball place.”