ST. GEORGE — It was a good week to be a top-four Region 9 team in week three of softball season, as teams now ranked in the top four seeds swept through play.

Snow Canyon held its spot at the top of the standings with two major blowouts of Desert Hills, scoring 35 runs to the Thunder’s three across two games. Canyon View let Cedar score seven runs in both games but scored in the double digits themselves to come away with wins. Crimson Cliffs won a slugfest first, then a pitcher’s duel. Dixie piled the runs on to overcome strong offensive efforts from Pine View.

Teams cross the halfway point of the regional season after Tuesday’s games. With seven contests remaining on each team’s schedule, time is winding down to deal Snow Canyon its first loss, though Canyon View and Crimson Cliffs are nipping at the Warriors’ heels.

Following are recaps from the previous week, along with Tuesday’s schedule and the updated Region 9 softball standings:

Snow Canyon outscores Desert Hills by 32 in pair of routs

Tuesday: Snow Canyon 14, Desert Hills 0

Thursday: Snow Canyon 21, Desert Hills 3

Game one at Snow Canyon ended after five innings after Jenna Thorkelson held the Thunder to one hit while the offense piled it on.

Thorkelson struck out eight and retired the last eight she faced to secure the shutout. She allowed one hit (a single to Alexandra Aiken in the second) and a walk, but no other base runners. Offensively, Snow Canyon slugged five homers including a trifecta from Tyler Mooring. One of Mooring’s homers was a grand slam, giving her seven total RBIs in the contest. Emma Bingham and Erin Gunn also went deep. Syd McCaul went 3-for-4 and Thorkelson helped her cause with a pair of singles.

On Thursday, a three-run top of the first put Snow Canyon up for good and an 11-run rally in the seventh rubbed salt in the wound. Mooring again went deep and Kambrie Stuart hit a grand slam. McCaul and Stuart each collected five RBIs as McCaul went 4-for-6 with a double. Gunn went 4-for-5.

Mooring threw the first three innings for Snow Canyon, striking out two and allowing two runs on homers by Janelle Jones and Braylen Baumgartner. Thorkelson provided four innings of relief, striking out five and allowing a lone hit. Desert Hills scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh, but got no closer to the Warriors’ then 18-run advantage.

Snow Canyon swept through four non-region contests over the weekend by an aggregate score of 48-6. Springville got the closest to a victory as Snow Canyon won 5-3. Meanwhile, Desert Hills went 0-3-1 in inter-region play including a 3-3 tie with Lehi on Saturday.

The first-place Warriors play at Canyon View on Tuesday, while the Thunder travel to Hurricane.

Falcons score double digits twice to sweep Cedar

Tuesday: Canyon View 10, Cedar 7

Thursday: Canyon View 15, Cedar 7

The Falcons scored enough in the first six innings to survive a five-run onslaught from Cedar in the bottom of the seventh with the Reds’ backs against the wall. Kenlee Clove, Sidney Webster and Payton Lister all recorded three hits to back a solid start from Laynee Anzalone and lock down a win. Clove drove in four with a pair of home runs and a double. Jaylee Clove and Erin Robinson also went yard for Canyon View.

Anzalone controlled Cedar through the first six innings but allowed a home run before an error in the seventh before issuing a walk and being pulled. Her stat line ended after 6.1 innings with nine hits allowed, five runs (three earned) and seven strikeouts. Lister allowed a pair of runs over the final .2 innings on two hits.

For Cedar, Kaydee Anderson recorded three hits from the leadoff spot including a homer. Sydney Meek hit a grand slam in the comeback bid and Kodi Nelson also had a round-tripper.

Amryn Tom and Halle Albrecht each had two hits.

After a rough start by Payton Naegele, Meek allowed only two hits over the final two innings with three strikeouts and no runs.

At Canyon View, a six-spot in the third and a four-spot in the fifth gave the Falcons all they need when Cedar posted another seven runs. The Reds scored in the top of the first after Lister hit Anderson to start the game, who eventually came around to score without a hit. Cedar held that lead until the second and was up 3-2 in the middle of the third before Canyon View’s first crooked number. The Falcons never trailed after the third.

Robinson went 3-for-5 from the leadoff spot for Canyon View. Kenlee Clove went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers, three RBIs and three runs. Anzalone drove in four with a homer and a single.

Lister gave up all seven runs in five innings, striking out three and walking two. Anzalone threw two innings of scoreless relief with a lone hit and four strikeouts.

The top four in the Cedar order went 6-for-11 with Anderson, Nelson and Haylee Campbell each recording two hits. Campbell had Cedar’s only extra-base hit, a double. Tom had the team’s only other hit.

Canyon View holds onto its No. 2 spot in the standings and hosts No. 1 Snow Canyon on Tuesday. Cedar hosts Pine View.

Crimson sweeps in slugfest and pitchers duel

Tuesday: Crimson Cliffs 21, Hurricane 11

Thursday: Crimson Cliffs 3, Hurricane 2

At Crimson on Tuesday, Afton Roberts drove in seven for the Mustangs as both teams put on a show with the bats. Hurricane’s six-run start in the first two innings was nullified by a two-run bottom half of the first and a four-spot in the second by the Mustangs. Crimson then piled on nine in the third to pull away for good.

The Tigers crept back into the contest with a five-run fourth, but Crimson scored five of their own in the fifth.

Roberts went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, double and a walk. Ellie Herd drove in four with a triple and a double. Crimson Cliffs recorded nine extra-base hits of their 16 total. They also drew 11 walks as a team.

Abby Stout went 3-for-4 to lead Hurricane. Kaitlin Rasmussen went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs and runs. Both hit triples in the game.

Ellie Brinkerhoff hit a walk-off double in the sixth that scored Hallexx Tebbs to put Crimson ahead by 10.

As worn out as home plate got in Washington, it was preserved in Hurricane. A three-run fourth was the difference for the Crimson as Malia Davis and Chantell Pearson controlled both opposing offenses.

For Crimson, Davis threw six innings and allowed two earned runs while striking out five. She gave up six hits, four for extra bases, but controlled the damage. McKenna Cahoon struck out the side after Davis gave up a double in the seventh to earn the save. For Hurricane, Chantell Pearson struck out nine over a complete game, yielding only four hits. Of the three runs she allowed, only one was earned. Pearson did not allow a hit until the fourth.

Ashten Taylor hit a double and a triple, the only extra-base hits for Crimson. Annie Hutchings tallied a double and triple as well. Both were the only players for both teams to record multiple hits.

Hurricane beat Summit Academy 14-0 in non-region play on Friday.

Crimson travels to Dixie on Tuesday and Hurricane hosts Desert Hills.

Dixie sweeps Pine View despite strong Panther offense

Tuesday: Dixie 23, Pine View 10

Thursday: Dixie 18, Pine View 11

The Flyers scored 31 runs against Pine View across two games and needed all of them to feel comfortable as the Panthers posted 21.

The Panthers opened game one at home with a five-run first inning and had 10 by the third. The problem came when Dixie scored seven in the third to reach double digits as well. The Flyers then proceeded to score six in the fourth and seven in the fifth as a red-hot Panthers offense went quiet with zeroes in each frame.

Debra Tofi gave up seven earned runs and 10 total in her three innings for Dixie but Kylee Terrell allowed no hits over the final two frames with four strikeouts for Dixie. None of Chaisey Milne, Audrey Lester or Avery Gustin had an answer for Dixie’s bats, each giving up at least three runs. Seven Pine View errors led to 13 unearned runs, however. Dixie tallied 19 hits including eight doubles, a triple and a homer by Chloe Ellison. Tofi drove in five runs to lead the game.

Each of the first five hitters in the Pine View lineup tallied two hits and collectively scored nine runs and drove in seven. The bottom four went 3-for-11 with two hits by Audrey Edwards.

At Dixie, the teams were tied at 11 entering the bottom of the sixth before the Flyers rallied for seven runs to pull away late. Terrell and Elle Anderson each hit home runs and the Flyers put together nine total hits in the inning, including an additional Terrell single. Ellson went 3-for-5 with three RBIs from the leadoff spot. Terrell went 4-for-4. The top four hitters for the Flyers went a combined 12-for-18 with three doubles, a triple and two home runs.

Dixie gets back to .500 in region play. They host Crimson Cliffs on Tuesday.

Pine View continues to seek their first win in Region 9. They take on Cedar next.

Tuesday’s game schedule (April 13)

• Crimson Cliffs at Dixie
• Desert Hills at Hurricane
• Pine View at Cedar
• Snow Canyon at Canyon View

Region 9 softball standings, as of April 12

1. Snow Canyon 6-0 (16-4)
2. Canyon View 5-1 (11-1)
3. Crimson Cliffs 5-1 (14-3)
4. Dixie 3-3 (6-7)
5. Hurricane 2-4 (6-7)
6. Desert Hills 2-4 (4-12-1)
7. Cedar 1-5 (5-11)
8. Pine View 0-6 (4-10)

Cedar City News reporter JEFF RICHARDS contributed to this story.

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