High school softball: Tuesday’s 5A bracket play recap

5A bracket play, game two

Salem Hills 13, West Field 1

After losing last year’s championship series to West Jordan, Salem Hills felt it had something to prove in this year’s 5A state tournament.

The Sky Hawks started strong and earned a 13-1 mercy-rule win over West Field to advance to day two. They also beat Springville 7-0 in the first round of the 5A tournament.

“I think there’s been questions of, ‘Is Salem for real?’ all year,” said Salem Hills coach Kaleb Stokes. “We were there last year, and I think people were wondering, ‘Are they good enough to get back?’ It’s been a driving force this year for our girls, and they’re just playing their game.”

Salem Hills had the at-bats going all game. The Sky Hawks totaled 11 hits, five of which were home runs.

Audree Stokes, Adalun Mattinson and Aliyah Elmer each hit one home run, while Leila Stevenson had two and totaled five RBIs.

“We got a lot of fastballs this game, and we just didn’t miss them,” Stokes said.

Through Salem Hills’ two games Tuesday, it surrendered just a single run.

“It starts with Jo (Norman) in the circle,” said Stokes. “She’s been our rock all year in the circle. And then Emmery (Wilson) does a great job getting her strikes behind the plate, too. Those two make a great one-two punch and pitching and catching.”

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Maple Mountain 9, Hunter 5

Maple Mountain struggled in its first game at the 5A state tournament with a 13-3 loss to Box Elder. However, the Golden Eagles regrouped and found a way into day two with a 9-5 win over Hunter.

“We had graduation to start the first game, and we came out really slow,” said Maple Mountain head coach Avery Leckie. “I told the girls that they needed to get their energy and string their base hits together, and they did that. I thought they did really well at coming in and just not letting that first game affect them and just going out and saying we’re going to win.”

Brinley Cherrington led offensively with a home run and three RBIs. Chelsie Carter and Daphnee Pagano each added two.

Maple Mountain took a strong 9-3 lead in the fourth inning and never let it go.

“Offensively, it was just stringing base hits together,” Leckie said. “That’s the biggest thing for them. We weren’t having a ton of big hits like we usually do, but just the little base hits.”

Hunter started to mount a comeback in the seventh as it scored two runs and loaded the bases. However, Maple Mountain got out of it with the 9-5 win.

Springville 2, Clearfield 1

All game long, Springville’s defense kept it in its 5A bracket play game with Clearfield. Still, the Falcons held a 1-0 lead.

Time kept running out, but the Red Devils held out and got a win behind a two-run home run from Mary Finlayson.

“Allyx (Haveron) got on base and then Mary saw a good pitch, hit a home run and saved the day for us,” said Springville coach Jill Thackeray. “We just said to keep us alive and going. So proud of them being on base.”

Not only did Haverson get the game-winning home run, she also got the win on the mound with four strikeouts while holding Clearfield to just one run.

“I thought Allyx pitched a great game to keep us in it,” Thackeray said. “Holding them to one run is a good thing.”

It was a bounceback win for Springville after being held scoreless 7-0 by Salem Hills in the first round.

“I just think our season has prepared us,” Thackeray said. “We’ve had a lot of dog fights. Our region is a gauntlet. A lot of tough teams that I think have prepared us. We’ve had quite a few close ones to where they’ve been in that situation and had to get out.”

Box Elder 6, Spanish Fork 1

No. 2 Box Elder had a near-perfect day one of the 5A state tournament. It started with a 13-3 mercy-rule win over Maple Mountain, followed by a 6-1 win over Spanish Fork, advancing to day two without a loss.

“Being able to win twice, that’s going to lock us in,” said Box Elder coach Brian Merrill. “We have two really strong pitchers, so we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

The defense really lifted the Bees in their win over the Dons. The only time Spanish Fork managed to score all game was a singular run in the third inning.

Box Elder pitcher Kennadie Blackmer had an outstanding game on the mound with 14 strikeouts.

“The girls just listened to our adjustments that we made,” Merrill said. “We tried to take away what their batters could do and we just made some plays.”

Lucy Griffin led the way offensively with three RBIs and one double. Kailee Hall added two RBIs and a home run.

5A bracket play, game one

Salem Hills 7, Springville 0

Top-seeded Salem Hills shut out Springville 7-0 in the first round of the 5A tournament, with Jo Norman leading on the mound with four strikeouts. Salem Hills’ offense was spearheaded by Audree Stokes, who went deep for a home run, and Aliyah Elmer, who added two RBIs. Leila Stevenson also chipped in with a double and two RBIs.

Spanish Fork 10, Hunter 4

Lia Higginson’s home run powered No. 3 Spanish Fork to a 10-4 playoff win over Hunter. The Dons jumped to an early lead with three runs in the first inning and extended it with five more in the third. Despite Hunter’s efforts with four runs across various innings, it couldn’t overcome Spanish Fork’s strong start. Paizley Boman secured the win, striking out eight for Spanish Fork.

Box Elder 13, Maple Mountain 3

Box Elder dominated Maple Mountain 13-3 in the first round of the 5A tournament. Box Elder powered through with seven runs in the second inning. The Bees brought in four home runs, with a home run by Kailee Hall, another by Maclee Willard and two by Kennadie Blackmer. Lucy Braegger earned the win for Box Elder, allowing just four hits and recording three strikeouts.

West Field 11, Clearfield 2

West Field surged in the third and sixth innings to win 11-2 against Clearfield in the 5A state tournament. Kadence Dyson played a key role with 5 RBIs, including two doubles, while Ayzlee Sessions added a home run for the Longhorns. Brinklee Hadley secured the win on the mound, striking out three Falcons as West Field collected 13 hits.