High school softball: 5A’s top seeds, Salem Hills, Box Elder advance to state championship game

Here’s a recap of the 5A softball state tournament games at Valley Complex, with Salem Hills and Box Elder advancing to the championship series.

Box Elder 8, Spanish Fork 6

It took a bit longer than they wanted, but the No. 2 seed Box Elder Bees got the job done on Wednesday and now they’re two wins away from a 5A state championship.

The Bees needed two games to beat Spanish Fork once in 5A bracket play. They lost the first game 8-5 but then won the make-or-break second game 8-6 to advance out of the bottom 5A bracket and into the best-of-3 championship series.

“Spanish Fork’s amazing. We just had to go to war, and it was, luckily, hey, two points higher than they were,” said Box Elder coach Brian Merrill.

Box Elder advances to the 5A state championship series against top-ranked Salem Hills, which begins at 4 p.m. on Thursday at BYU.

The Bees’ spot in the championship series looked in doubt for much of Wednesday.

After falling to Spanish Fork in the first game, Box Elder immediately dug itself in another hole and trailed 6-1 midway through the second inning.

“We went through three pitchers the first game. We thought our last pitcher was kind of on it, was going to do pretty good. They just got on her quick. We got in a hole, but then the girls, they just handed it off to each other and kept supporting each other, and we dug out,” said Merrill.

Kennadie Blackmer took over in the circle after that rough start and pitched five innings of shutout ball as she pitched out of several jams — including bases loaded in the sixth.

“We had to go to her, and once again, she showed she’s the best player in the state. Hit the ball, pitched the ball. She just carried us,” said Merrill.

Blackmer struck out 10, and at the plate went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

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Down 6-1, Merrill pinpointed Lucy Griffin’s bases-loaded single in the bottom of the third inning as a key moment for his team. The Bees cut the lead to 6-4 in that inning, and then in the fourth inning pulled ahead 7-6 after another three-run inning.

Merrill had faith that even though his team started slow, it would eventually get to Spanish Fork ace Paizley Boman.

She pitched all five innings of the Dons’ 13-3 win over Maple Mountain to start the day, and then all seven innings in the first game against Box Elder. Fatigue started to catch up as the innings piled up in the third game.

“I knew we were going to get them because their pitcher, she’s an amazing girl, but she’s probably had to throw 500 pitches today. This is her third game, and I knew we were on her, and we were going to get her,” said Merrill.

Box Elder will quickly turn its attention to Salem Hills, which it lost to in this same round a year ago.

“Good heavens, they’re a gauntlet. We’re just going to go out and try to keep it close and hopefully find something at the end,” said Merrill.

Salem Hills 1, West Field 0

When Salem Hills’ Emmery Wilson ripped a solo shot out of Valley Complex during 5A state tournament action on Wednesday, it was the 75th dinger of the season for the slugging Skyhawks.

Oddly, Salem Hills’ bats were largely silent the rest of the afternoon, but it didn’t really matter with the way Jo Norman was pitching.

The senior ace was in command the entire game, striking out five and only allowing three hits as top-seed Salem Hills blanked No. 4 seed West Field to book its place in the 5A state championship series.

Not bad for a pitcher her told her coach Wednesday morning that she was feeling, “a little creaky, but I got this.”

Her pitches were moving all over the batters box as coach Kalab Stokes said her curveball, rise ball and screwball were all working.

“We owe that game to her,” said Stokes.

In two state tournament wins on Tuesday, Salem Hills pounded out 20 runs, but one run was good enough Wednesday.

Wilson’s home run was her 13th of the season as her team-leading 54th RBI of the season.

“Emmery’s been very, very constant for us all year long. If she’s not hitting a home run, she’s getting one or two hits a game. She’s leading our team in average, and because she’s a great player, we depend on her,” said Stokes.

Salem Hills made some key plays defensively as well in sneaking past West Field, something Stokes was particularly proud of as that’s a part of his team’s games this year that’s rarely tested with so many big leads.

“That’s something we’ve focused on ever since January 3^rd. When we started open gyms was defense, defense, defense. We knew the hitting would be there, but defense wins you games in tight games, and that’s something that this group takes serious,” said Stokes. “We start every practice with defense. They pride themselves in that.”

Game 1 of the 5A championship series will be Thursday night at 4 p.m. against Box Elder at BYU’s Gail Miller Field.

Stokes is optimistic that the experience his players gained in losing to West Jordan in last year’s state championship series can pay dividends this week.

“Last year none of us knew what we were doing. Even me, we’ve never been there, we didn’t know what to expect,” Stokes said.

“This year is different, and the mindset, everything behind it from the coaching staff to the players, this has been our goal all year long is get back there, and we’re ready for that.”

Spanish Fork 13, Maple Mountain 3

Paizley Boman led Spanish Fork to a 13-3 victory over Maple Mountain in a 5A state tournament elimination game, collecting five RBIs and going 2 for 3 at the plate. Lia Higginson bolstered the offense with a 3 for 3 performance and three RBIs.

Spanish Fork broke open the game with seven runs in the second inning and added four more in the third to seal the win.

West Field 5, Springville 3

Ellie Koford’s perfect performance at the plate, going 3 for 3 with two RBIs, propelled West Field to a 5-3 victory over Springville in a 5A state tournament elimination game.

The Longhorns capitalized on a critical two-run surge in the third and fourth innings, breaking away from an early scoreless tie. Rylee Andreasen contributed with a 2 for 4 outing, adding an RBI to secure the home team’s advance and end the Red Devils’ playoff run.

Spanish Fork 8, Box Elder 5

Spanish Fork rallied in the middle innings to beat Box Elder 8-5 in the 5A state tournament, keeping its season alive.

Taylani Reid went 2 for 4, highlighted by her three-run homer in the second inning. Despite two late runs by Box Elder in the sixth inning, Spanish Fork held their lead to force an elimination game for both teams later in the day.