High school softball: Salem Hills executes a successful game plan in 5A Game 1 win over Box Elder

Before Salem Hills’ first contest against Box Elder in Game 1 of the 5A championship series, junior Leila Stevenson spent an hour Thursday morning in the batting cage with her father, practicing against riseballs.

Stevenson and the SkyHawks knew Bees star pitcher Kennadie Blackmer loves to catch batters with her riseball. Blackmer leads 5A with 203 total strikeouts on the year.

The extra practice paid off, as Stevenson hit a home run and a double and tallied four RBIs as Salem Hills got the 9-2 Game 1 win.

“I knew Kennadie and her awesome pitching,” Stevenson said. “I knew that I had to be ready, and ready (for) the rest of the pitchers. Honestly, Box Elder is a tough team, and I’m glad we pulled it out.”

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Defense, as usual, was one of Salem Hills’ strongest assets in Thursday’s win. Pitcher Jo Norman may have had only one strikeout, but she made pitches that were hard for Box Elder to get full contact on.

Nearly every time the ball came off a bat, the SkyHawks were quick to throw it out to first or get the easy catch.

“(It) starts with Jo,” SkyHawks coach Kalab Stokes said. “She told us at the end of the regular season, ‘Give me the ball. I want the ball every game...’

“She’s locating and spinning and doing everything that she’s doing every game for us. When the balls do get put into play, we’re on it.”

Despite the convincing win, it took a few innings for Salem Hills to get going. Box Elder was actually the first to strike with a run in the second inning behind an RBI double from Maclee Willard, but then came the SkyHawks.

They got back-to-back base hits to start the second inning, and an intentional walk against Emmery Wilson got the bases loaded.

Box Elder managed to get out of the inning while giving up only two runs, but it couldn’t stop what Salem Hills unleashed in the fifth and sixth innings.

It started with a triple from Wilson, and that gave Stevenson all the confidence to hit the ball over the wall 210 feet into left field.

“As soon as Emmery hit that triple, that’s when I was like, ‘OK, I can get on base too,’” Stevenson said. “I feel like we just all worked together to get that one.”

The game was likely already over with the defense that Salem Hills was playing with, but that was only emphasized further with a five-run sixth inning.

Blackmer got her seven strikeouts, but Salem Hills built its game plan against her riseball. The SkyHawks stayed patient and found their pitches. Stevenson led the way with her four RBIs while Adalun Mattinson added two.

Five SkyHawks recorded at least one RBI, and they totaled 10 hits.

“Blackmer is amazing,” Stokes said. “She has so many strikeouts this year, and she wants you to get her riseball. Our message was ‘Stay off the riseball, and let’s try to get that down pitch.’

“She got us on some riseballs for sure, but we stuck to the game plan of trying to hit that down pitch and get on.”

With Thursday’s win, Salem Hills is now only one victory away from taking its first state crown since it went back-to-back in 2013 and 2014.