Prep softball: Spanish Fork sinks Box Elder’s postseason hopes in 5A semifinal
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- Box Elder is jubilant after clearing a side during a 5A playoff matchup with Spanish Fork on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder senior Justy Pritchard (10) waves to her dugout during a 5A playoff matchup with Spanish Fork on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Fremont senior Ivee Johnsen rips off a pitch during a 6A state playoff matchup with Herriman on Wednesay, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Spanish Fork senior Lucy Evans fires a pitch during a 5A playoff matchup with Box Elder on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder freshman Kennadie Blackmer zips in a pitch during a 5A playoff matchup with Spanish Fork on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder freshman Lucy Griffin (19) tags a baserunner during a 5A state playoff matchup on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder’s first base coach instructs a baserunner during a 5A state playoff matchup on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Davis sophomore Jewel Korth connects with a pitch during a 6A playoff matchup with Pleasant Grove on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Davis senior Sydney Marrelli signals from second during a 6A playoff matchup vs. Pleasant Grove on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
TAYLORSVILLE — An emotional, season-ending 4-1 loss to top seed Spanish Fork convinced Box Elder softball coach Brian Merrill that his girls left everything on the field in Wednesday’s 5A state semifinal game.
Knocking off No. 8 West Jordan 9-4 in a 5A elimination game Wednesday morning, the No. 4 Bees earned another stab at Spanish Fork by piling nine runs on eight hits to defeat the Jags. Senior Kelie Malan and freshman Kennadie Blackmer combined for just six hits allowed.
Merrill recognized his four seniors — Justy Pritchard, Kellie Malan, Paige Baker and Stevie Checketts — for carrying his club to such a milestone and 23-6 finish.
“They went all out,” Merrill said. “To be in the final four is big and these seniors led us all year.”
Blackmer, who tried and failed to remove the Bees from Tuesday’s loss to the Dons, received the starting nod for Wednesday’s rematch. The freshman ace pitched five innings of five-hit, four-run ball with three walks and four strikeouts before Malan took the reins in the sixth.
Dons senior Lucy Evans (7.0 IP, 3 H, R, ER, 5 K) tested the Bees once again Wednesday, winning the pitchers’ duel after a commanding effort in Tuesday’s come-from-behind victory over Merrill’s squad.
A wild pitch set up Wednesday’s first score as Blackmer gifted Spanish Fork a quick 1-0 lead through the first. Box Elder didn’t register its first of three total hits until the third and soon trailed the Dons by two runs after a sacrifice RBI off the bat of senior Alyce Archuleta.
Spanish Fork snuck two more runs past Blackmer in the fifth — an RBI single popped to short by freshman Jayeda Carter and another sacrifice fly by Archuleta — before the freshman Bee struck out Spanish Fork senior Olivia Carrol to end the inning.
Even with power in the circle, Merrill felt his team didn’t recognize openings at hand.
“We didn’t take advantage of a couple of situations where we could’ve scratched a couple of runs,” Merrill said. “Hitting was important. I thought we played (OK) defensively, just couldn’t get runs across.”
Stepping into the circle late, Malan picked up arguably the two most important strikeouts of the game to render the Dons runless en route to a do-or-die seventh inning.
Two ground balls quickly became outs and the Bees stared down dire straights with a hard-fought postseason story on its last leg. Box Elder sophomore Maclee Willard had other plans, blasting her season’s first homer over the center-field fence before a pop-up ended the Bees’ season in the seventh.
Reflecting on their senior season, Baker and Malan each recognized more than a dirty, purple jersey was leaving the ballpark.
“There will be a time when you step off that field and you have to take what you learned with you,” Baker said. “We want to leave a good legacy for the younger girls.”
“Just have fun, it goes by so fast,” Malan added.
With the win, No. 1 Spanish Fork (28-2) advances to the state championship series against No. 2 Springville (28-5) beginning Thursday.
HERRIMAN 5, FREMONT 4
TAYLORSVILLE — A walk-off error sank No. 7 Fremont’s comeback efforts Wednesday morning in a 5-4 loss to No. 2 Herriman in the race for a semifinal seat.
With the Mustangs’ deciding run on, junior Keira Rodriguez’s game-winning bunt created just enough confusion to bring in the winning score.
The Silverwolves, capping the spring 13-7 with Wednesday’s heartbreaker, clawed back from a three-run deficit in the first. Fremont tied the contest 4-4 on a walk, a sacrifice RBI by senior Kacie Howard and on an error which provided Fremont the opportunity to complete the comeback.
Relieving teammate Ayzlee Sessions early on, Fremont senior Ivee Johnsen (5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB) recorded the tough loss in her final prep appearance.
PLEASANT GROVE 15, DAVIS 5
TAYLORSVILLE — There’s no doubt No. 4 Pleasant Grove returned to Wednesday’s 6A playoff slate with a vengeance. The Vikings (23-7) cleared No. 5 Davis from the postseason picture 15-5 en route to a double-elimination semifinal with top seed Riverton.
The Darts, closing their spring campaign 19-7, endured 14 runs through the first three frames and Pleasant Grove stormed to a run-rule victory after the fifth.
Davis starter Serena Roth and reliever Cambell Christensen (3.2 IP, 11 H, 9 R ,9 ER 2 BB, K) couldn’t hold back PG’s bats.
Roth (1.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER) recorded two RBIs, batting a perfect 2 for 2 against the Vikings, with two more runs driven in by senior Lauryn Hall and senior Jada Chilton.