Skyridge 7, Corner Canyon 6
No. 7-seeded Skyridge narrowly defeated the No. 11 seed Corner Canyon Chargers in a tightly contested 7-6 game between two Region 3 rivals in Tuesday’s 6A baseball bracket play.
Things started out great for the Falcons in the bottom of the first when senior Miles Robinson crushed a ball to deep center on the first pitch that he saw from Corner Canyon starter Carson Paulsen.
“I’ve played a lot of games here, and I’ve only seen a couple of balls hit like that,” said Skyridge head coach Ryan Roberts. “To win a tournament like this, you’ve got to hit, and to set the tone like that is what you want from your leadoff guy.”
Corner Canyon would answer back just a half inning later with a two-run double from Bowen Bodily. That lead wouldn’t last long as Skyridge scored two more runs driven in by Robinson.
“He’s a great player, he’s got a big future ahead of him,” Roberts said of his star center fielder. “He’s taken a lot of responsibility on himself to have some leadership. He brings some great energy, I’m really excited to see him do that.”
Corner Canyon would tie the game in the top of the third thanks to an RBI from Krew Thorn. Skyridge blew the game open with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Luke Robley hit a grounder to short, but an errant throw to first allowed for three runs to score. Robley would score just moments later on a wild pitch.
Corner Canyon continued to fight back, bringing the deficit to just one run in the top of the sixth thanks to RBI hits from Levi Hines and Garrett Downing, as well as a sac fly from Bodily.
The top of the seventh brought the entire audience to its feet when Corner Canyon got runners on first and third with two outs and Falcons starting pitcher Ripken Roberts nearing the 110 pitch count limit. He would have to be pulled for previous hero Robley, who would induce a game-ending line-out to a well-placed Skyridge shortstop.
This is the fourth time that the two teams have faced off this year. Corner Canyon won two of the previous three.
“What’s hard with our region is that every coach is so good, and the kids are so prepared,” Coach Roberts said. “You don’t get freebies and if you give away freebies, you lose. It’s a grind, and that’s how every region game is, almost for all of the teams in our region.”
Corner Canyon will take on Mountain Ridge in a consolation game Wednesday at 11 a.m. Skyridge will play the winner of that game at 4:30 p.m.
Mountain Ridge 8, Lone Peak 0
In a 6A state tournament elimination game at BYU, Colby Claassen delivered an exceptional performance with five innings of shutout pitching to lead Mountain Ridge to an 8-0 win over Lone Peak. Ryker Morton powered the Sentinels’ offense by going 2 for 4 with five RBIs, contributing prominently to their scoring outbursts in the second, third and fourth innings. This region game showcased Mountain Ridge’s dominance both on the mound and at the plate, as they recorded 11 hits while maintaining a perfect fielding game.
Riverton 3, Jordan 0
Boston Hatch pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing only two walks, to propel Riverton to a 3-0 victory over Jordan in a 6A state tournament elimination game. Bryce Mounteer went 2 for 3 with an RBI, while Brayden Gillespie and Cohen Allred each added an RBI to Riverton’s total. The Silverwolves secured the win with a late surge, scoring their final two runs in the sixth inning.