GARLAND — It will not be a cakewalk for Da Bears next week.
After outscoring two overmatched opponents 33-zip in back-to-back league games, four-time defending state 3-A champion Bear River tangles with undefeated Bingham, Bountiful and Tooele starting Tuesday.
“I’m excited for next week. It will be good for us,” said Bears senior center fielder Morgan Summers. “We have to work hard Monday after spring break.”
Summers, who has signed with Utah Valley University, went 4-for-4 in Wednesday’s 14-0 five-inning Region 11 whitewash of the Tigers. She also scored four runs and swiped three stolen bases as Bear River’s speedy leadoff batter.
“We’re hitting the ball OK, but not as good as we were last week. We’re starting slow, too,” Summers said.
“We just come to play with the idea that anybody can win on any day. I think we can still play better.
“We were not getting as many hits as we can,” she said. “We were popping up too much because of the slower pitching and not getting our timing down. It took us until the second time through our lineup before we found our timing and started hitting the ball better.”
The two-time defending league champion Bears (10-2 overall, 6-0 league) swept their eighth consecutive win, recording six extra-base hits.
Junior right-hander Jordan Theurer threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts, two walks and a hit batter.
Kassi Fronk was 2-for-3 with an RBI double, a bases-loaded walk and a run. Theurer drilled a two-run double; Erin Fox had a two-run double down the left-field line, was hit by a pitch and scored twice; and Shaunie Owen drilled an RBI double with a run.
Tyree Haramoto had a run-scoring single and a run; Aleisha Taylor went 2-for-3 with two triples, two RBIs and two runs; and Kena Olsen walked twice with two runs for Bear River.
“Our first goal is to win region,” the 17-year-old Summers said. “Then, our second goal is to win state and get the record.”
No softball team has won five consecutive state titles. Da Bears (2008-11) and Bingham (1991-94) each have a four-peat.
“It would be awesome to do that, and we have a huge target on our back,” Summers said.
“Teams come after us, and 3-A is a lot more competitive this year.”
Ogden (6-5, 1-4) dropped its third straight and has been shut out three times this season.
• morgan 15, ben lomond 13: At Ben Lomond High, the Trojans and Scots combined for 25 hits and 13 errors.
Raqael Jensen went 2-for-5 with an RBI double, a three-run homer and scored four runs. Brook Pierce was 2-for-5 with a double and four runs; Chandler Hipwell went 2-for-5 with three runs; McKinlee Breshears was 2-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run; and Aubrey Nielson went 2-for-4 with a run for Morgan (2-12, 1-3).
Jaycie Broad went 4-for-5 with a two-run triple, two doubles and scored three runs. Leanza Driscoll was 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBIs and three runs; and Chakira Walls-Woods went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run for Ben Lomond (0-12, 0-5).
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