ST. GEORGE – All of the sudden Dixie is winning close games.
The Lady Flyers still have a lot of work to do, but back-to-back close wins have them thinking playoffs as the season winds down. Thursday, Dixie defeated Pine View 4-3, completing a season sweep of the Panthers.
The win comes on the heels of a 2-1 upset of first-place Snow Canyon Tuesday and puts the Flyers at 4-5 in Region 9 play with three games left. The Panthers are 6-5 and Cedar is 5-4 as the three teams vie for two available playoff spots.
Mickell Chidester singled home Jamryn Jones with the go-ahead run for the Flyers in the top of the seventh inning.
Pine View loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh with one out, but Dixie pitcher Summer Simkins induced a popup for the second out. Kamree Becker came to the plate next and hit a hot liner to the left side that was nabbed by Dixie shortstop Aubri Challis to end the game.
Airin Lara had a pair of RBIs in the game for Dixie and Simkins got the win by scattering seven hits and the three runs she allowed were all unearned.
Addie Horspool was the hard-luck loser for Pine View, despite allowing just two hits in six innings of work. She also had a double and scored a run.
Pine View had six errors in the game, but held a 2-0 lead into the fourth inning and a 2-1 edge into the sixth. Despite the loss, the Panthers can clinch a playoff spot with a win against Canyon View next Friday.
Canyon View 18, Desert Hills 4
Kelsee Hyatt hit a pair of home runs and the Falcons rolled to their fourth straight region win Thursday afternoon in St. George.
Canyon View pulls even with idle Snow Canyon for first place in the region with an 8-2 record. The two teams will meet Tuesday in Cedar City to decide the region championship and the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs. The Warriors beat CV 11-3 earlier this season at SCHS.
The win Thursday is the second of the season over the Thunder for Canyon View, which improves to 9-11 overall.
D-Hills drops to 7-17 overall and 3-7 in region. The Thunder are still mathematically alive for a playoff spot, though their hopes are on life support. Cedar would have to lose its last three games and Dixie would have to lose two of three for there to be a tiebreaker.
Current Region 9 Standings*:
SC 8-2
CV 8-2
PV 6-5
CD 5-4
DX 4-5
DH 3-7
HU 0-9
* – Top four teams qualify for the playoffs.
Friday’s game
Cedar at Hurricane, 4 p.m.
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