Region 10 softball: local offenses explode for double-digit scoring in multiple games

ST. GEORGE — Softballs are flying out of ballparks and the sound of aluminum bats is pinging around the region as local teams continue their drives for the title. 

Something special was in the air last Tuesday and Friday nights – maybe the wind – that fueled much scoring in Region 10 softball games.

Hurricane and Dixie combined for 23 runs and six home runs Tuesday night. Crimson Cliffs scored 21 runs in four innings. Last Friday, Desert Hills and Cedar combined for 33 runs and 30 hits in one game.

Following are recaps of action from Tuesday night and last week.

Tuesday’s games

Hurricane 12, Dixie 11 

Trailing 10-3 at one point, the Tigers pulled off a stunning rally on the road to surprise the Flyers.

“One of the most exciting games I’ve been a part of,” Hurricane coach Chris Hurst told St. George News after the win. “I’m still excited. I knew we would come back. The attitude of the girls was up, even when we were down there was no give up, no let down.”

Hurricane and Dixie in a Region 10 softball game, St. George, Utah, April 5, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

There was no scoring in only four of the 14 half-innings in the contest.

Dixie jumped ahead 5-1 in the bottom of the first after Debra Tofi’s hit with the bases loaded scored three. Then Jacey Lundin hit her first career home run to score two more Flyers runs.

Hurricane answered with back-to-back solo home runs to cut Dixie’s lead to 6-3 in the top of the third.

Lundin’s RBI single and a three-run homer from Jamelle Mullins put Dixie ahead 10-3 after three, but then Hurricane roared back to score three runs in each of the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to secure the comeback win.

Freshman Faith Fuller smacked the second of her two home runs of the night for Hurricane, then Abbi Stout blasted a two-run shot to cut Dixie’s lead to 10-6 after five innings of play.

Emma Patterson and Fuller each had an RBI in the sixth and a fielding error made it 10-9. Dixie got what looked like an insurance run to make it 11-9 going into the seventh and final frame.

Patterson and Anni Hutchings had the game-winning hits that scored Hurricane’s three runs in the top of the seventh, then Abbi Stout retired the Flyers in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the come-from-behind victory.

“Hitting the ball square has kind of been our Achilles heel, we’ve been having a lot of soft contact,” Hurst said. “Tonight we had a lot of hard contact.”

The victory was Hurricane’s first Region 10 win at 1-2. In the first RPI (ratings percentage index) rankings released by Deseret News on April 1, Hurricane was fourth overall in 4A.

“We’re still relatively young, but we do feel like it’s time for us to start competing with everyone in the region,” Hurst said. “A win like this really should build our confidence. We’re climbing that mountain and getting closer and closer. I’m hoping we can build on this.”

Dixie’s Region 10 record slipped to 2-1 after the setback.

Crimson Cliffs 21, Pine View 1

At Pine View, the Mustangs rolled to a 20-run win that was called after four innings. Crimson Cliffs racked up 13 hits and 11 walks during the decisive win.

Snow Canyon 7, Cedar 5

Jenna Thorkelson picked up another pitching win and the Warriors scored in every inning but one en route to the victory over the Reds.

Avery Thorkelson and Alyssa Staheli each had two RBIs for Snow Canyon while Anyssa Montano, Kennadi Gates and Emma Daniel all had single RBI’s in the victory.

Amryn Tom and Elli John each drove in a run for Cedar in the defeat.

Friday’s games

Desert Hills 17, Cedar 16

At Cedar, the Desert Hills Thunder completed their two-game sweep of the Reds with a wild 17-16 victory on April Fool’s Day.

Cedar had jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, but the Thunder rallied to score seven runs in the top of the second.

Up 7-5 after two innings, the Thunder maintained a two-run advantage over the next four innings, as each team scored zero in the third, two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth. 

Then, in the top of the seventh and final inning, the Thunder added three more runs to go ahead 17-12, but Cedar rallied to score four in the bottom of the frame, with Kodi Nelson belting a three-run homer to make it 17-15. Two batters later, Taislee Arehart belted a solo shot to bring the Reds within one run.

Desert Hills at Cedar, Region 10 softball, Cedar City, Utah, April 1, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

However, Desert Hills reliever Kailey Chamblee, who had taken over for starter Mav Schmid in the fourth inning, then got Cedar’s last batter to pop up to second to end the game.

Collectively, the teams scored 33 runs on 30 hits while committing 10 errors. Desert Hills had seven of those errors yet still managed to come out on top.

“We came back and got those three runs in the seventh, which was really big for us because without those, obviously we’d end up losing,” said Desert Hills head coach Heidi Taylor.

Taylor praised her players’ resilience.

“Like they’ll make a mistake, and they’ll come back and fight through it and pick each other up the next time,” she said. “And really, nobody gets upset if somebody makes a mistake. That’s a tribute to them being awesome teammates.”

Leading the way for Desert Hills offensively was catcher Laci Jones, who went 4-for-5 at the plate, driving in two runs for the Thunder, while teammates Aisey Gargono and Alexandra Aiken knocked in three RBIs apiece and Maci Sparks added two home runs. Schmid was the winning pitcher.

Desert Hills at Cedar, Region 10 softball, Cedar City, Utah, April 1, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Cedar, meanwhile, was led by Nelson’s four hits and five RBIs. Kali Crowley added four RBIs and one home run.

“The biggest thing is I’m proud of them for fighting throughout the whole game,” said Cedar coach Sarah Bishoff. “They could have just been like, ‘All right, this game’s over,’ but they kept fighting through every inning. They didn’t give up and it was a whole team effort.

“We put a lot of girls in that hadn’t seen any varsity time this year, so it was really big for us to see what we have and see the full effort from a lot of girls on our team.”

One notable case in point was freshman starting pitcher Sadie Parson, who went out of the game in the second inning with a bleeding gash on one of her right knuckles. She later returned to the circle to finish the game, despite the injury being on her throwing hand. Reliever Elli John pitched for four innings in the interim.

Written by Cedar City News/St. George News reporter Jeff Richards.

Dixie 16, Pine View 0

The Flyers rolled to the win at Pine View behind pitcher Deb Tofi, who scattered six Panther hits for the shutout.

Meanwhile, Dixie used a four-run first and an eight-run sixth inning to post the big victory.

Six different Flyers drove in at least one run.

Reese Monson led the way with two home runs and five RBIs in the victory. Tofi, Vanessa Scarborough, Jamelle Mullins and Alivia Arp all recorded two RBIs apiece for Dixie.

Thursday’s game

Crimson Cliffs 8, Snow Canyon 7

The Mustangs scored four in the first then held on to survive a furious Snow Canyon rally.

Ashlyn Cowdell was the winning pitcher and Emma Daniels suffered the defeat.

Alyssa Staheli continued to swing a hot bat for Snow Canyon, hitting a home run and driving in two. Meah Stafford, Kennadi Gates and Daniels each had a single RBI in the loss.

For the winners, Emma Shakespear hit a home run and drove in four. Riley Askland had two RBIs and Addilyn Brinkerhoff had an RBI for the Mustangs.

Region 10 softball standings, as of Wednesday (region, overall):

  1. Desert Hills, 4-0 (8-7)
  2. Snow Canyon, 4-1 (12-7)
  3. Crimson Cliffs, 4-1 (13-2-1)
  4. Dixie, 2-1 (10-6)
  5. Hurricane, 1-2 (9-3)
  6. Cedar, 0-5 (6-10)
  7. Pine View, 0-5 (3-11)

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