ST. GEORGE — So many baseball games, so many great moments and even some bittersweet.
Dixie won the final Sunshine Classic on its 43-year-old Don Lay Flyers Field (a new baseball field is opening next season). Snow Canyon took the SC Invitational on Believe For Britton Night and Cedar turned a few head by capturing the Desert Hills Invitational. Those are just a few of the storylines on a busy day for baseball in southern Utah. Here’s a recap:
Dixie 12, Wasatch 5
Dixie 8, Fremont 1
The Flyers handled the Wasps easily early in the day, setting up the championship game of the Dixie Sunshine Classic against former coach Jeff Messerly’s Fremont Silverwolves.
Cousins Kody and Colin Hutchings teamed up to take care of the Wolves in the championship game. Kody Hutchings, who was named the outstanding pitcher of the tourney, hurled a complete game, allowing no earned runs and striking out eight. Perhaps most impressively, the right-hander didn’t walk a single batter.
“I knew Fremont was pretty tough, with Coach Messerly leading them,” Kody Hutchings said. “I knew they were a pretty solid hitting team and just had to come out strong. It was nice having a lead, some insurance, so I could make some mistakes and still be okay. But as it turns out, I didn’t need it.”
The only run Fremont could manage came on a single and a three-base error on the Dixie right fielder.
Meanwhile, Colin Hutchings gave his cuz all the support he would need with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Drew Bailey and Kody Hutchings had drawn walks ahead of Kody’s blast, which came on a 2-0 count with Hutchings looking dead red.
“We sat back on that 2-0 fastball, we knew it was coming and boy did he ever take advantage of that,” Dixie coach Danny Ipson said. “Originally we were going to have him bunt, but when it went to 2-0, we pulled the bunt off.”
Dixie took advantage of the wildness of the Fremont pitching staff, which gave up 10 walks in the game. Four of them came in the second inning, when Dixie doubled its 3-0 lead to 6-0. Jaxon Davis and Tyson Fisher singled ahead of the four walks, with Bailey, Kody Hutchings, Jaden Rawlings and Chaz Hansen all drawing free passes.
Rawlings and Hansen each scored in the fourth to add some insurance for the Flyers, who improved to 7-1 with the victory.
Messerly, who coached for several years at Dixie and helped the Flyers win the 2005 state championship, said he was happy to be back in southern Utah, if only for the weekend.
Bailey, who pitched a victory and had an active bat for the Flyers as the lead-off hitter, was named the tournament MVP.
Dixie begins region play Tuesday at Hurricane and returns back home Friday to host the Tigers. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Stats: fredix31415
Snow Canyon 5, Skyline 4
Snow Canyon 11, Mountain Crest 7
The Warriors are still undefeated after a rousing comeback against Skyline and an offensive show vs. the Mustangs.
Against the Eagles, Nick Dolce was on the mound and Snow Canyon found itself down 4-0 heading into the bottom of the third. A four-run rally, aided by several Skyline walks, tied the game and it stayed that way until the sixth. That’s when SC was able to play a little small-ball and push across the go-ahead run.
Dolce then shut Skyline down in the seventh to earn the complete-game victory.
The win sent SC to the championship game of the tourney, where they squared off with Mountain Crest. The game was never much of a contest, with Snow Canyon jumping out to a 7-1 lead after three innings. Eventually the advantage grew to 11-3 before the Mustangs added some late runs to make the game look a bit closer.
Dolce homered twice in the game and Brady Sargent and Ike Jorgensen both hit monster shots as well. The homers were dedicated to Britton Shipp, the Santa Clara teen who was severely injured in an ATV accident several months ago. Shipp threw out the first pitch in the game. He’s also received visits and various gifts from several of the teams in town for baseball tournaments, including West, Spanish Fork, Mountain Crest and, of course, Snow Canyon. Shipp was a sophomore at Snow Canyon High when the accident happened and baseball was his favorite sport.
Umpire Gene Van Orden wrote on his Facebook wall, “Tim (Welsh) and I got to be part of a very special night at Snow Canyon High School tonight. We were there as they were honoring the return of Britton Shipp. What a great night. The game was just a game, but seeing Britton back with his friends and how both teams loved him was a moment in time I will not forget. Thank you Britton for showing us that we are all a family and at times all work for the good. We all love you and wish you the best in your journey. It was great to be part of your night. Thanks again.”
The Warriors are now 8-0 on the season as the teams head into region play. Snow Canyon plays on back to back nights Tuesday and Wednesday against Pine View. Tuesday’s game is at SC and Wednesday the two teams meet at PVHS. Both games will begin at 7 p.m.
Stats: mcsc31415 skysc31415
Cedar 6, Desert Hills 2
Cedar 13, West Jordan 3
Like Dixie and Snow Canyon, Cedar has been very impressive in the preseason, racking up an 8-1 record the first couple of weeks.
In the early game, the Redmen kept D-Hills from thew championship game of its own tournament by ripping four extra-base hits, including a home run by Rykker Tom.
Dusty Hanna got the win on the mound, with the offense staking him to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Cedar plated three more runs in the third to lead 5-0. A small rally by the Thunder cut it to 5-2 in the fifth, but Cedar held from there.
In the DH Invitational title game, Cedar dispatched West Jordan with little trouble. in fact, the game only lasted six innings due to the UHSAA 10-run mercy rule.
Cedar had four more extra-base hits in the contest, including a yard job by Josh Boyer.
Cedar opens region play Tuesday at home against Canyon View. The two teams will play Friday at CVHS. Neither team has lights, so both games will be at 4 p.m.
Pleasant Grove 9, Pine View 8
The Panthers out-hit the Vikings 13-9 and didn’t commit an error in the game. But PG used a three-run rally in the fourth to pull close and a three-run homer by Easton Walker in the fifth to take the lead.
Pine View had led by as many as four runs (7-3) and hit the ball well all game. Tybo Johnston, Kash Walker and Dakota Donovan all had doubles in the game, but the Vikings matched with two doubles and Walker’s home run.
Pine View threatened in the seventh inning, loading the bases with one out. But Pleasant Grove turned a double play to end the game and capture the victory at Bruce Hurst Field.
The Panthers, who drop to 3-4 with the loss, will begin their region journey with two games against Snow Canyon next week. Tuesday’s game is at SC and Wednesday the two teams meet at PVHS. Both games will begin at 7 p.m.
Hurricane 16, Fredonia (Ariz.) 0
South Sevier 5, Hurricane 4
The Tigers blasted their smaller Arizona neighbors to the east in a mercy-rule shortened game. Drake Hermansen pitched well in the other game and held a 4-3 lead going into the seventh.
But the Rams of South Sevier rallied for two runs, then held Hurricane scoreless in the bottom half to take the win.
The Tigers are 4-4 on the season and will battle Dixie Tuesday in Hurricane and again Friday in St. George.
Desert Oasis (Nev.) 10, Canyon View 0
Canyon View 7, Eldorado (Nev.) 3
The Falcons showed pluck, grabbing a win despite three mercy-rule losses over the weekend. Canyon View got 10-runned by Bishop Gorman, Basic and Desert Oasis in the BG tournament, but rebounded to salvage a win over the 4-3 Sundevils.
The Falcons 4-5 on the year and have a key battle with Cedar as region begins next week. The two teams meet Tuesday at Cedar High and will play Friday at CVHS. Neither team has lights, so both games will be at 4 p.m.
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Colin Hutchings launches a 3-run home run for the Flyers, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie starting pitcher Kody Hutchings, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Umpires Gene Van Orden (left) and Tim Welsh with Britton Shipp Saturday night. | Photo courtesy Gene Van Orden Throwing out the first pitch, with coach Kent Garrett and his grandson, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie third baseman Jaden Rawlings just misses tagging a Fremont baserunner, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Cody Hutchings puts the ball in play for the Flyers, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Colin Hutchings (9) gets congratulations from his teammates after his 3-run home run, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Chaz Hansen (21) hustles to first base, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Hobbs Nyberg makes contact for the Flyers, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Tyson Fisher rips a hit into the outfield for the Flyers, fikle photo from Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Tyson Fisher (18) played well for Dixie, file photo from Fremont vs. Dixie, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Jaden Rawlings (7) heads to first base after ball four, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Dixie High baseball poses after winning the Dixie Sunshine Calssic, Fremont vs. Dixie, Dixie Sunshine Classic championship game, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 14, 2015 | Photo by Andy Griffin, St. George News
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