2A baseball: Enterprise survives ‘if necessary’ game to grab 2A crown

Written by Andy Griffin
May 15, 2016
Enterprise vs. North Sevier, 2A State Championship, Baseball, St. George, Utah, May 14, 2016, | Photo by Kevin Luthy, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Seven seniors played their last game as Enterprise Wolves Saturday. But oh, what a way to go out.

enterprise-logonorth-sevier-logoEnterprise outlasted North Sevier for an 11-9 win at Bruce Hurst Field, giving the Wolves from southern Utah their second state title since moving up to 2A more than a decade ago. EHS was a powerhouse in the 1980s and 1990s in 1A baseball, which is played in the fall. Since bumping up a classification, the Wolves had captured just one state title (2011). Enterprise fell one run short last season in the title game to Manti.

Enterprise vs. North Sevier, 2A State Championship, Baseball, St. George, Utah, May 14, 2016, | Photo by Kevin Luthy, St. George News
Enterprise vs. North Sevier, 2A State Championship, Baseball, St. George, Utah, May 14, 2016, | Photo by Kevin Luthy, St. George News

But Enterprise is back on top of the 2A baseball world after taking its second game in three tries against North Sevier over the weekend.

Kayson Bundy, Quade Jones and Cole Stratton scored three runs each and Enterprise never trailed in the game. The EHS Wolves, playing as the visitor, had a 10-1 lead after an inning and a half. North Sevier, which aided the Enterprise cause with six errors in the game, didn’t give up, however.

The team from Salina started chipping away immediately, cutting it to 10-4 in the bottom of the second and then 10-6 in the fourth.

Even with ace Brandell Shumway coming on in relief, North Sevier continued to evaporate the Enterprise lead, pulling ultimately within one at 10-9 after a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth.

But Jones, Bundy and Stratton all came across in the top of the seventh to give Enterprise a little breathing room. In the bottom of the seventh, an error pulled the NS Wolves to within 11-9, but Shumway induced a groundout to end the game and spark the celebration.

Caden Prisbrey, one of the few juniors on the Enterprise squad, ended up being the RBI king in the game, knocking home four runs from his No. 7 spot in the batting order.

Enterprise's Brandell Shumway (9), Enterprise vs. North Sevier, 2A State Championship, Baseball, St. George, Utah, May 14, 2016, | Photo by Kevin Luthy, St. George News
Enterprise’s Brandell Shumway (9), Enterprise vs. North Sevier, 2A State Championship, Baseball, St. George, Utah, May 14, 2016, | Photo by Kevin Luthy, St. George News

At 21-6, Enterprise brings home the gold trophy, sending North Sevier (22-4) home with the silver.

Bundy ends the year tied for the all-time state record in doubles hit in a season with 21. He did not hit a double in two games Saturday.

Earlier in the day, North Sevier made its way to the title game with a 7-6 win over Grand County, then forced the if necessary game with a 9-4 win over Enterprise. EHS had beaten North Sevier 13-3 on Friday in a mercy-rule shortened game in the semifinals.

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Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Griffin has been in sports media since 1989 and has covered BYU, Utah State and the Utah Jazz as well as all sports in southern Utah. A journalism graduate of USU, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m. Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 28 years and has five children ages 13 to 25.

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