Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s 3A baseball tournament at Lindquist Field.
Grantsville 6, Carbon 4
Grantsville’s 6-4 come-from-behind win over Carbon wasn’t the prettiest, but when it comes to playoff baseball, winning and moving on is all that matters.
“Carbon is a great team, and we knew it was going to be a battle, but I’m proud of our guys for being able to bounce back when their backs were against the wall,” said Grantsville head coach Trevor Thornton. “That’s what playoff baseball is all about. It’s exciting, it’s stressful, and you gotta dig deep and find ways to win.”
After outscoring its opponents 39-1 through the first few games of the 3A state tournament, Grantsville found itself in some adversity, a position it hasn’t been in very often this season as it trailed 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
But the Cowboys didn’t panic.
After a single up the middle by Jordan Fawson, Easton Hammond stepped up to the plate looking to make a big play. When coaches gave him the signal for a bunt, the senior didn’t hesitate and ended up making arguably one of the biggest plays of the game as he managed to turn a bunt into a triple to spark a huge rally to help the Cowboys come back and get the win.
“If you told me before the game that I would get a triple off a bunt I wouldn’t have believed it,” Hammond said with a big smile. “I was secretly hoping coach would let me hit it out of the park, but that was just as good.”
Following the triple, Patton Rose stepped up and hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring in Hammond to cut the deficit to 4-2. The Cowboys then added four more runs in the fourth to take their first lead of the game — a lead they would not relinquish.
Rose got things going again with a single to left with the bases loaded, and then Karter Reed followed it with a single to right to bring in two runs to give Grantsville a 5-4 lead. A wild pitch then allowed Guhner Kimber to steal home to extend the lead to 6-4.
Carbon had the second-seeded Cowboys on the ropes with two runs in the second and two more runs in the third for a quick 4-0 lead. The Dinos got some help from Grantsville’s defense which dropped two fly balls to keep the innings alive and the momentum going.
Carbon was led by Logan Bennett who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Brody Ware who also had two RBIs with a single down the left field line to push the lead to 4-0. But the Dinos couldn’t hold on and dropped their first game of the tournament.
With the win, the second-seeded Cowboys remain in the winners bracket, while No. 11 Carbon drops to the one-loss bracket and will face No. 14 Logan again with the winner getting another shot at Grantsville in the 3A semifinals. Carbon took down Logan 13-3 two days ago when the two played and will look to do so again.
Union 8, Canyon View 1
The top-seeded Union Cougars looked the part as they took down No. 3 Canyon View — the reigning champions — in a commanding 8-1 victory late Tuesday night at Lindquist Field.
The Cougars finished the night with 12 hits and limited the Falcons to just three hits and allowed their only run due to an error.
“Everyone stepped up and hit the ball in crucial situations,” said Union head coach Matt Labrum. It was fun to watch everyone swing the bat really well. Barrels are contagious and once one guy starts it, the rest follow and they proved that again tonight.”
Canyon View had plenty of chances to score as it had multiple guys get on base, only for Union pitcher Ryan Oakey to get out of the jam as the junior finished the night allowing just three hits in six innings, to go along with six strikeouts.
“Ryan’s future is so bright, and it has been fun to see him grow and wanting the big stage,” said Labrum. “He had a great opportunity tonight and he made the most of it. Canyon View is a terrific team and we knew we had to bring our best if we wanted to win tonight. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. They played amazing and were up to the challenge.”
Union got on the board first as Davin Brotherson got on with a single and then advanced to second on a balk. With the count full, Tyson Marx calmy hit a single to put runners on the corner which allowed Dylan Watahomigie to bring in the first run of the game thanks to a base hit up the middle to bring in Brotherson. Less than a minute later, Bo Earl then scored on a wild pitch to give Union a 2-0 lead in the top of the third.
Canyon View got a run back as Zach Maine had an RBI double to bring in Hunter Johns to cut the deficit to 2-1.
But it was all Union after that as the Cougars scored three runs in the fourth, one run in the sixth and two runs in the seventh for a dominating 8-1 victory. Brotherson and Marx each had a game-high three hits apiece, while Cade Frandsen had a game-high 3 RBIs in the win.
With the victory, Union remains in the winner’s bracket, while Canyon View –— the reigning champs — drop to the one-loss bracket and will face Manti, with the winner getting another shot at Union for a chance to play in the 3A Championship.
Logan 3, Emery 2
Marcus Shopbell delivered a key performance for Logan, going 2 for 3 with three RBIs, and recorded 10 strikeouts as the winning pitcher in a region elimination game, leading the Grizzlies to a 3-2 victory over Emery. Logan trailed 2-1 after the third inning but secured the win with a two-run rally in the fifth. Emery managed four hits and committed one error, while Logan capitalized on three hits despite three defensive errors.
Manti 4, Providence Hall 2
Carter Keisel’s 2 for 4 performance with two RBIs led Manti to a 4-2 victory over Providence Hall in a 3A state tournament playoff game. Manti scored three crucial runs in the fifth inning to overcome Providence Hall. Providence Hall attempted a late comeback with two runs in the seventh but was unable to close the gap.