Prep softball: Lady Thunder win group in impressive fashion at March Warmup Elite

Written by Darren Cole
March 12, 2017
Desert Hills' Savannah Wright (9), Desert Hills vs. Cottonwood, Softball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 11, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Desert Hills finished first in its group at the March Warm-Up Elite held at Little Valley and Canyons Sports Complexes. The Lady Thunder squeaked by in low-scoring contests the first day and then showed off their hitting prowess in Saturday’s games as they put up 26 runs in the two contests. Below are game summaries of Saturday’s games:

Desert Hills 12, Cottonwood 2

In the morning game, the Lady Thunder jumped out early on 5A Cottonwood. Desert Hills put up six runs in the first and scored in each of the first four innings to take a 10-0 lead into the fifth. The Lady Colts scored two in the bottom of the fifth to avoid the mercy-rule loss. The Thunder added the two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.

Desert Hills’ Brianna St. Clair (6), Desert Hills vs. Cottonwood, Softball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 11, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Brianna St. Clair pitched the entire game and recorded 13 strikeouts. She allowed only one hit and both of the runs scored were unearned. Four players had multiple hits. Katelyn Philips and St. Clair each had three. Sophie Wilcox and Kylie Bowler had two apiece. Philips also led the team with three RBIs.

Desert Hills 14, Green Valley 2

In the last game of group play, the Thunder came up against Green Valley out of Las Vegas. The Lady Gators had been rolling over their competition with double-digit wins to their credit.

Desert Hills’ Rilee Stookey (83), Desert Hills vs. Cottonwood, Softball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 11, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Just like the morning game, the Thunder bats came out hot. Desert Hills put up seven runs in the bottom of the first. D-Hills scored in each inning they batted (four). Green Valley had been equally impressive in earlier games, but could not figure out St. Clair. They did manage two runs in the top of the fourth.

St. Clair gave up four hits and struck out three. One of the runs was earned. Offensively, six different players (Philips, Ashlee File, St. Clair, Wilcox, Rilee Stookey, Kylie Bowler) all had two hits. Wilcox led the team with five RBIs.

“We hit really well as a team,” said Desert Hills head coach Kacey McArthur. “The goal this weekend was to improve each game, especially offensively. We struggled initially at the plate, but we progressively got better and that really showed up in this game. When we score every inning, our defense and pitching make it tough on opposing teams. It was a good way to end the weekend. “

Desert Hills moves to 5-0. The Lady Thunder will play again Thursday when the Thunder host South Summit. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Hurricane 10, Parowan 4

Hurricane overcame a three-run deficit to take the win in the morning game against visiting Parowan. The Lady Tigers put up six runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 7-4 lead. They added three more insurance runs in their last at-bats in the bottom half of the sixth.

Hayley Teta got the win from the circle. She pitched the full seven innings, giving up four hits and striking out seven. Offensively, Jaiden Smith led the team with three hits. Abbie Elison had two hits.

Beaver 12, Hurricane 3

In the afternoon game, the Beaver defense limited Hurricane’s scoring opportunities. Teta did not start the game, but entered in the first inning. In combination with starter Savannah Garner, the Tigers gave up 11 hits and struck out four.

Teta led the team in hits with two. Beaver put up three runs in both the first and second innings. Then the visitors cruised the rest of the way as the Lady Tigers never seriously threatened after that.

Both losses have come against Beaver and this one drops the Lady Tigers to 2-2-2 for the season. They will play again on Thursday when they host North Sanpete in their final tuneup before region play. Game time is set for 4 p.m.

Kearns 10, Cedar 6

After a 2-2 tie in the first inning, Cedar saw Kearns put up five runs in the bottom of the third. Cedar would get to within one after batting in the fifth, 7-6. But Kearns added insurance runs in the fifth and sixth to seal the win.

The Lady Reds only managed seven hits against Kearns pitcher Angel Valdez, who got her first win of the season. Meanwhile Cedar pitching gave up 11 hits to the Lady Cougars.

Cedar drops to 2-3 with the loss. The Lady Reds will play cross-town rival Canyon View on Tuesday at the Falcons’ home field. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darren Cole recently returned to sportswriting after a 20-plus year hiatus. While pursuing other studies, he developed an early passion for sports writing as a senior writer and sports editor for the Ricks College Scroll in 1988-89. Darren has spent the last 20 years writing legal memorandi and appellate briefs. In addition to his legal career, he has also taught legal and criminal justice courses at the university level for nine years as an adjunct professor. Darren is married to wife Lisa, has two sons and is a confessed sports junkie.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.