ST. GEORGE – Pine View fans and coaches will readily admit they are a young team – a work in progress, so to speak. Tuesday night the Panthers got to see what a finished product looks like.
Snow Canyon, playing solid defense and smart baseball, broke open a close game to defeat Pine View 10-0 at Warriors Field. The young Panthers kept it close for four-plus innings, but the Warriors finally cracked the code of PV freshman hurler Dakota Donovan in the fifth inning and shortened the game via the 10-run mercy rule.
“I was nervous,” Snow Canyon coach Reed Secrist said. “That’s a good Pine View team. They’re going to beat some people this year. It just felt way to early to be starting region already.”
SC felt like it was in control all night after plating three runs in the first inning. But the Warriors couldn’t deliver the killing blow as Donovan kept his team in it. In fact, after giving up the three runs early, the freshman allowed just one more hit until the fifth inning, when he seemed to run out of gas.
Meanwhile, Donovan’s counterpart, Brogan Secrist, had it on cruise control. The senior allowed just four hits and only one Pine View base runner made it past second base all evening.
“He was hitting his spots,” SC catcher Brady Sargent said. “He really kept Pine View off-balance and mixed in his off-speed stuff when he needed to.”
The score stayed at 3-0 for nearly five innings, making Pine View coach Mike Gargano wish his team could have capitalized while it was close.
“If we could have given (Donovan) some defense and a little run support, it’s a different game,” he said.
Riley Gates was spectacular at the plate for the Warriors. The senior lefty had a two-run single in the first inning, scoring Chandler Day and Clint Gates and later scored himself in the first. He then singled in the third and doubled home a run in the fifth.
“Riley’s a great hitter and we need him to be, hitting in that four hole,” Reed Secrist said.
Clint Gates, Riley’s cousin, also had a nice day. He walked and scored in the first inning and doubled and scored in the seventh, when Snow Canyon reeled off seven unanswered runs on six hits.
“We just started waiting for better pitches and laid off the high fastballs,” Clint Gates said. “We were a lot smarter later in the game. Pine View’s got a decent team and we just need to play the best we can. This is a big week for us.”
Indeed, SC (4-2 overall and 1-2 in region) plays again Wednesday in its second region game in as many days at Canyon View. The Warriors then host a weekend tournament where they are scheduled to play four games in two days.
The Panthers, 4-4 and 0-1, play their first home region contest Friday against Hurricane.
Dylan Draper, Justice Santiago, Kody Wilstead and Tristan Duran all had hits for PV.
Desert Hills 4, Cedar 3
Senior Bryce Gibson lined a walk-off single with one out in the bottom of the seventh as Desert Hills came from behind to defeat Cedar Tuesday night.
The Thunder had led 1-0 going into the sixth inning, but Trevor Sanders hit a 3-run homer off of Dylan File to put the Redmen ahead 3-1. File settled in and retired Cedar in the sixth and his teammates scratched through for a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Another senior, catcher Carson Clement came through with a two-out hit to tie the game.
Cedar went down quickly in the top of the seventh, then in the bottom half, Braiden Irvin walked and stole second, advancing to third on the wild throw. With one out, Gibson stepped up and lined a clean hit into right field to end the game.
“I was proud of the resiliency we showed,” coach Jerry beck said. “It was deja vu from when we lost to them in the last game last year. It was a very similar situation, only this time we were able to come back and get the win.”
Beck praised his four seniors for all coming up with clutch base hits late in the game, including Gibson, Clement, Zac Ivie and Kaleb Caplin.
It was actually a heck of a pitcher’s duel until late in the game, with Baden Powell holding Cedar scoreless until the sixth and Kaden Lunt allowing just the one run until the sixth.
“It was an intense game,” Beck said. “Our guys really battled. I think it’s our first error-free game of the year.”
The Thunder, now 6-3 overall and 1-0 in region, play at Dixie Friday night.
The Redmen, 5-4 and 0-1, play at home vs. Juan Diego Wednesday and then travel to Emery Friday afternoon.
Dixie 12, Hurricane 0
It was officially the first region game at the new baseball park at Hurricane High, but the results show that Dixie is still riding high after a perfect preseason. Braxton Ipson got the win on the mound and the Flyers racked up a dozen runs on a dozen hits, including a grand slam by Tanner Wilde.
Tyson Graff continued his hot hitting with a double and a triple and Hurricane’s defense had a rough outing, with six errors.
Dixie, 8-0 and 1-0 in region, led 6-0 going into the seventh, but batted around in plating six more in the final inning. The Flyers host Desert Hills Friday.
Hurricane, 5-4 and 0-1, managed just three hits off of Ipson. The Tigers play at Pine View Friday night.
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