4A softball championship: Fry, Wilson bounce back to claim Game 1 for Bear River
Bears, Desert Hills to battle Friday with trophy on the line
CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner
Bear River's Kate Wilson is fired up after a strikeout versus Skyridge during the 4A state softball playoffs on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at Spanish Fork Sports Complex in Spanish Fork.After waiting out rain and storm clouds all day Wednesday to finish the final rounds of double-elimination bracket play in Spanish Fork, one might think Thursday morning’s bright sunshine was a welcome sight as No. 1 Bear River and No. 2 Desert Hills opened the 4A state championship softball series at BYU.
But sight was, in fact, a problem.
Two of Desert Hills’ first three batters hit fly balls to Bear River’s Aubree Fry in center field — catchable balls, ones she lost in the sun that then fell to the grass — leading to two unfortunate errors charged to her name.
Fry didn’t let that be the last word, and starting pitcher Kate Wilson shrugged off the possible effects as well.
The Bears quickly regrouped and, in a battle of 31-win teams, went on to defeat the Thunder 6-3 at Gail Miller Field to claim a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three championship series.
Game 2 is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday. If Game 3 is necessary, it immediately follows. Bear River seeks an addition to its Utah-best 11 state championships, and deliver its first in the post-Calvin Bingham era with second-year head coach Jordan Theurer.
After Fry’s sun-blinded errors, Wilson kept it from snowballing with a popout and flyout to hold Desert Hills (31-3) to a 1-0 lead.
Bear River (32-2) patiently made Fry’s frustrating flyballs not matter, stringing together two singles, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and an RBI groundout to exit the first inning with a 2-1 lead.
Then it was Fry’s turn to put the first inning fully in the rear-view mirror, coming through for what proved to be two important runs in the bottom of the second. After Bostyn Lish tripled to center field, Fry doubled to right to push Lish across. Fry then scored on a Luci Roche single and the Bears had a 4-1 lead.
Fry finished 3 for 4 at the plate with one run scored and one RBI.
Wilson — who allowed two earned runs on five hits over seven innings, striking out nine and walking three — struck out the side in the second and fourth innings to move things along for her Bears, who led 5-1 after three innings on a run-scoring Desert Hills error.
The Thunder didn’t go quietly, making Wilson pay for a one-out walk in the fifth when Riley Greene smacked an RBI triple and scored on a Bailey Lee single to make it 5-3. But Wilson stopped things there with a flyout to Fry in center and an infield popout.
Roche scored on an insurance RBI groundout from Londyn Gamble to put the Bears up 6-3, then Wilson cleaned up the top of the seventh with three non-threatening infield popouts to end it.
Lish batted 3 for 4 and Roche was 2 for 2 with two walks.
