4A state baseball playoffs: Herman’s swan song gets Snow Canyon within one win of title

WEST JORDAN — Carston Herman nearly floated off the mound after the top of the second.

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field. Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 21, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

The senior lefty, in what will go down as his final high school game, was well on his way to fulfilling a promise. He had just struck out the side on 10 pitches, one shy of an immaculate inning. The Mountain Crest Mustangs swung and missed six times in that inning alone. They didn’t make contact once. He allowed one run in the first but was fed up. Just 15 outs later and the Warriors, behind Herman’s performance, stand one win from a state title.

“After he gave up the one run in the first inning, I was like, ‘They aren’t scoring again,'” Snow Canyon catcher Mason Strong said. “That’s my dude. I’ve been around him and I can tell his mentality, when he’s going to get stuff done …. He was freaking dialed in.”

In his encore performance, Herman threw a complete-game four-hitter. Two of those hits came in the first. He struck out seven Mustangs and guided the Warriors to a game one win in the best-of-three series for the title at Cate Field at Salt Lake Community College.

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field. Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 21, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

Kolmyn Foulger knocked the second pitch of the game for a single and came around to score when Nathan Rowley punched a line drive into left field. After that, none of the next 11 Mustangs reached base. Hudson Phelps singled with one out in the fifth to break the streak and Herman walked the next batter before escaping the jam with a line out and a fly out.

Dax Roundy singled to lead off the sixth was doubled off two batters later to end the threat.

After a leadoff error in the seventh, Snow Canyon got a fielder’s choice before Herman took matters into his own hands, striking out the last two batters of the game, igniting a mob of excitement as the Warriors all stormed the mound.

As it finally dispersed, Herman and head coach Reed Secrist were left hugging.

“I said, ‘I don’t want to see you until you walk off this field after there’s three outs in the seventh inning,'” Secrist said. “For the most part, today was what I expected out of him all year long. Great for him to finish his career like that.”

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field. Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 21, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

It was a return to form for Herman, ending his career in a familiar fashion after a rollercoaster season. He allowed 14 earned runs in his final 14 regular season innings.

After striking out 17 Thunder in a complete-game shutout on April 8, he didn’t pitch into the sixth again until Friday’s championship game one.

Herman was fed up. He sent Secrist a picture of him being pulled on Monday with a caption.

“I said, ‘I promise you this isn’t happening again,'” Herman said. “This was my last game pitching in the uniform so I was like, ‘I’m letting everything come out today.'”

As much as it was a return to the normal for Herman, it was anything but for the Snow Canyon offense.

They mustered only two hits, one from Strong to tie the game in the bottom of the first and another by Ence in the second. Strong’s drove in Luke Anderson, who drew a walk. Ence scored on a wild pitch. Ryder Harrison scored the third run of the game for Snow Canyon in the second on a wild-pitch strike three to Isaac Lyon, who just beat the throw to first.

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field. Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 21, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

“We found a way to score some runs, which is interesting to me right now,” Secrist said. “I feel like our approach is good I’m just not sure, we’re just not scoring those 10 runs we have in the past.”

Secrist went on to say that he’d take a “two-hit win any day.” This two hit win put the Warriors within one more of winning the school’s fourth state title.

They just have to take one of two against Mountain Crest on Saturday. Game one is at 11 a.m. Lyon will pitch for the Warriors.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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