ST. GEORGE – Having 20 wins and no losses is a pretty nice feather in the cap for the Snow Canyon Lady Warriors softball team, but what does it mean in the state tournament? Bupkis, actually.
“Everyone’s 0-0 now,” Snow Canyon coach Brandyn Sargent said.
Indeed, as the double-elimination tourney begins, all those wins helped to qualify the Lady Warriors for the playoffs and get them a single home game today at noon against Tooele. But beyond that, it would be best to forget the past.
A perfect example is last season’s championship. Bear River was the lone unbeaten team and faced Spanish Fork, who had one loss, for the championship. The Lady Dons promptly whipped the Lady Bears 16-0. But Bear River, amazingly, purged that embarrassing loss immediately from its collective mind and went out and beat Spanish Fork 8-0 in the “if necessary” game.
Of course, the 20-0 record is not meaningless as it doesn’t represent how well these Lady Warriors have played the last three months. Brytni Gurney, who will be pitching for the College of Southern Idaho next season, has been spectacular in the circle, winning all 20 games. Plus, she brings a potent bat to the plate. Skylar Gates, McKenzee Langston, Sonya Hardy and Mitzi Gates also swing it well and the Lady Warriors are solid defensively.
Snow Canyon plays Tooele at noon today. The Lady Buffaloes are 10-17 and finished 6-5 in Region 11, in fourth place. And while SC will be heavily favored, Tooele has shown the ability to put up a lot of runs this season, averaging 7.1 per outing. Snow Canyon averages 7.3 per game, but only gives up 2.0 runs an outing. Tooele allows more than eight runs per game. A win carries SC into next week’s second round. A loss and the Warriors would play again immediately afterward.
Canyon View placed second in Region 9 and plays in the Spanish Fork pod. The Lady Falcons will battle Grantsville, which is 16-6 and finished third in Region 11.
Pine View is the three-seed from Region 9 and is at Juan Diego today. The Lady Panthers will battle the defending-champion Bear River Bears in the first game at noon today. A win moves them ahead to next week. A loss would give them a 2 p.m. game vs. the loser of Juan Diego-Delta.
Hurricane qualified for the playoffs on the regular season’s last day and will play against 24-2 Stansbury at 10 a.m. today and then at 2 p.m. if the Tigers lose.
3A Softball Playoffs – Saturday’s First and Second Rounds
At Snow Canyon High School
Wasatch (14-9) vs. Payson (17-5), 10 a.m.
Tooele (10-17) vs. Snow Canyon (20-0), Noon
Note: Losers play at 2 p.m.
At Stansbury High School
Hurricane (7-8) vs. Stansbury (24-2) 1, 10 a.m.
Juab (13-8) vs. Uintah (16-6), Noon
Note: Losers play at 2 p.m.
At Spanish Fork High School
Grantsville (15-6) vs. Canyon View (16-9), 10 a.m.
Union (3-19) vs. Spanish Fork (19-5), Noon
Note: Losers play at 2 p.m.
At Juan Diego High School
Delta vs. Juan Diego (21-2), 10 a.m.
Pine View (18-5) vs. Bear River (17-6), Noon
Note: Losers play at 2 p.m.
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