WASHINGTON TERRACE -- The Jayhawks are headed to the state baseball playoffs again, only this time as the No. 2 seed from Region 17.
The St. Joseph Jayhawks went from a middle of the pack team in a seven-team league to the second-place squad in a four-team league and spent the past two days tuning up for the state 1-A tournament next week at Spanish Fork High School.
On Thursday, the Jayhawks got a solid effort on the mound from Jake Redden and some key hits from Brenden Dailey as they cruised to an easy 18-8 victory over the ICS Lions at Rohmer Park.
"Jake was solid on the mound for us tonight," St. Joseph coach Dane Atkin said. "He finished with eight strikeouts and did a good job keeping them (ICS) off-balance for most of the game. As a team, we are finally starting to see the ball well and hit the ball at the right time. If we could put together a solid seven innings, we could be a dangerous team."
After surrendering four runs in the top of the first, Redden and Co. settled down and rallied to take the lead for good in the second inning behind 14 ICS errors during the game.
Dailey had the biggest hit of the game with a three-run double in the fourth inning that put the game out of reach for the Jayhawks.
"It was tough because we knew that we could play with some of the tougher teams," Atkin said. "We were neck and neck with them (the Lions) and needed a good effort which we got today (Thursday). Now we can focus on our last game of the season and try to figure out how to win in the playoffs."
Friday afternoon saw St. Joseph play its first-round state opponent, Tabiona, and battle with them for five innings before dropping a tough 10-0 decision in the tune-up.
"We played very well because we only had four errors, but they came at a difficult, key moment in the game that set us back," Atkin said. "We know what we need to do to get better and hopefully win a game or two next week."
St. Joseph will play the same Tabiona team on Tuesday at noon in the state 1-A quarterfinals in a single elimination format.
Region 5 tennis
* MUSTANGS DOMINATE FINALS: Following a competitive Region 5 dual match season, the Mountain Crest girls made a strong statement in Friday's finals at Mount Ogden Park and Ogden High's courts.
The Mustangs won all five divisions on Friday to sweep the team hardware.
At No. 1 singles, Mountain Crest's Mary Kate Johnson topped Box Elder's Michelle Braithwaite for the title. At No. 2 singles, the Mustangs' McKenna Nelson topped Sky View's Anna Dehlin.
At No. 3 singles, Mountain Crest's Andrea Carlsen defeated Bonneville's Hailey Daniels for the title.
At No. 1 doubles, Meagan Ellis and Anna Anderson of Mountain Crest topped Bonneville's Marquel Scharmann and Maren Conolly, while the Mustangs No. 2 duo topped Janilee Johnson and Lexie Larsen of Bonneville for the title.
The top three teams advance to state, set for Oct. 7-8 at Salt Lake City's Liberty Park. The fourth-place finishers in each division will stage a play-in match on Monday at 4 p.m. at Roy High and Roy North Park.
Region 11 golf
* BEARS SNAG TITLE IN THRILLER: With medalist Jordan Rose leading the way, the Bear River boys golf team snagged the region championship with a four-shot win over Tooele.
The tournament victory on Thursday at Glen Eagle Golf Course, helped the Bears stay ahead of Stansbury in the season-long chase.
Morgan finished third in the season-long team standings, with Tooele fourth and Ogden fifth.
Rose, who earned Region 11 medalist honors, fired a 71 to win the tournament, with teammate Bridge Layton a shot back.
Morgan's Dylan Hendricks finished third at 75, with Trojan teammate McKay Kearsley fifth at 77, and Ogden's Tyler Cox ninth at 79.
Layton was third in the medalist chase, with Kearsley fifth.
The top golfers now advance to the state 3-A tournament, set for Oct. 5-6 at American Fork's Fox Hollow Golf Course.
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