4A state baseball: Snow Canyon edges Dixie in a thriller, will face Crimson Cliffs for state championship

Snow Canyon and Dixie in a 4A state baseball playoff game, St. George, Utah, May 19, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Snow Canyon continued its baseball season Thursday night, winning an “if necessary” game 7-5 against Dixie and earning the opportunity to defend its 4A state title.

The Warriors play against Region 10 rival Crimson Cliffs in a championship series starting Friday night at Bruce Hurst Field on the campus of Utah Tech University.

“We knew we would be here,” Snow Canyon senior Jake Johnson said. The right-hander earned the pitching win over the Flyers, working five and two-thirds innings in a gutsy performance.

“We had that mentality going in,” Johnson added. “Going into the season and throughout, even though we were losing games, we were like, ‘We will be state champs.’”

Region 10 champion Dixie battled Snow Canyon every pitch of the way. Derek Kesterson smashed a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning and Dixie tied the game 2-2.

Snow Canyon and Dixie in a 4A state baseball playoff game, St. George, Utah, May 19, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Johnson yielded no other runs for the next two-plus innings.

“I just kind of went out there like it could have been my last game, high school career,” Johnson said. “And I just put it all out there. Maybe the first pitch I was nervous but after that I was just locked in. There was nothing stopping us.”

Sam Lindsey led off Snow Canyon’s top of the fourth inning with a single. Hayden Smith walked, then senior Drake Kelly brought them both home with his three-run home run.

Ryder Harrison’s sacrifice fly in the fifth upped Snow Canyon’s lead to 6-2. But Dixie did not go away quietly.

Flyers slugger Boston Vest led off the bottom of the sixth for Dixie, crushing a solo home run so far it might have landed on I-15. 

Ridge Erickson followed with his own two-run shot and suddenly No. 1 seed Dixie trailed only 6-5.

Johnson walked the next Flyers batter and Snow Canyon coach Reed Secrist walked to the mound.

Snow Canyon and Dixie in a 4A state baseball playoff game, St. George, Utah, May 19, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

“We kept going back and forth about when we should get him out of there, when we shouldn’t,” Secrist said. “But I think we did the right move and then Makaio (Swensen) coming in there and throwing that fastball was good. What a great bunch of kids.” 

Swenson, a sophomore right-hander, came on and coaxed a fly ball out from Blake Watson and Snow Canyon went to the bottom of the sixth clinging to a one-run lead.

Swenson turned around and led off with a rope double down the left field line. 

Then the Warriors loaded the bases after two flyouts and two hit batters.

Senior Logan Mendenhall slapped a single up the middle to plate Swenson and Snow Canyon led for good 7-5.

“Right now we’re playing pretty good, and I think a lot of it has to do with our senior leadership,” Secrist said.

Swenson induced a ground out then threw two strikeouts to retire the Dixie side in the seventh and secured the save.

No. 4 Snow Canyon and No. 2 Crimson Cliffs are familiar Region 10 foes. The Mustangs handled the Warriors in region play, winning 7-1 and 8-4.

Crimson Cliffs was red hot, winning three tournament games in a row and scoring 48 runs in the process.

Snow Canyon counters with its own four-game winning streak with 53 runs scored. 

“I think we have a lot of good hitters in the region,” Secrist said. “The bats up and down these lineups can really do some damage.”

First pitch is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m.

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