Flyers, Warriors stay unbeaten as region play set to begin

Dixie's Kayler Yates (4), Dixie vs. Wasatch, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2018, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – With region play looming, southern Utah prep baseball teams got a few more games in Saturday. Region 9 squads were bullies on the diamond, recording an 8-1 day while dodging raindrops.

Dixie continued to win, recording a mercy-rule victory over an Idaho school and just getting past a good Wasatch team. Snow Canyon kept pace, also winning two games in their tournament, while Desert Hills took a pair of games at home as well. Pine View and Cedar each won single games and Hurricane was the lone local team to take a loss.

Here’s a recap of the busy Saturday at the ballparks:

Dixie 7, Wasatch 6
Dixie 15, Wood River (Idaho) 2

The Flyers improved to 10-0 on the season, but it wasn’t easy in the late afternoon game. The Wasps from Heber City brought their ‘A’ game and had a 5-3 advantage going into the late innings. But Dixie did something it hasn’t had to do much of this year – the Flyers rallied for a close win.

“They got ahead, we came back, they did it again and we were able to rally again – it was really a back-and-forth game,” Dixie coach Danny Ipson said. “They threw a good pitcher. We had some opportunities to score some runs earlier in the game and we did not. Fortunately, later on we were able to capitalize on some opportunities and get the win.”

Dixie’s Wyatt Woodland (20), Dixie vs. Wasatch, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2018, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Dixie led 3-2 after Hobbs Nyberg scored on an error and Tyson Miller came home on an RBI by Payden Harrah in the bottom of the third inning. But the Wasps scored three in the top of the fourth and seemed to be on the verge of an upset win.

Down 5-3 in the sixth, Dixie put together a one-out rally. The big blow came on a bases loaded line drive single by Chase Lundin that scored Tyson Fisher and Reggie Graff and tied the game at 5-5.

Wasatch retook the lead at 6-5 in the top of the seventh on a squeeze bunt with one out. That left Dixie with one final at-bat to try and stay undefeated. Tyson Miller led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and Tyson Fisher brought him home with a double off the center field fence. Harrah then bunted and beat it out to put runners at the corners with no outs. Wasatch intentionally walked Reggie Graff to load the bases and the next batter, Kayler Yates, ended the game by lining a 2-2 pitch to right field for the game-winning hit.

Dixie’s Tyson Miller (1), Dixie vs. Wasatch, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2018, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

“Wasatch was a good team with a good pitcher,” Tyson Miller said. “They gave us a really good game. Luckily we came away with it.”

Boston Miller pitched 3.1 innings of relief and came away with the win. He allowed just one run on four hits. Fisher and Lundin had two hits each and Nyberg tripled in the game.

Dixie then squared off with Wood River (Idaho) in the late game and it was close early. Tyson Miller, Harrah and Graff all scored in the first three innings to put the Flyers ahead 3-0. Wood River rallied for two runs in the top of the fourth to cut it to 3-2. But the Wolverines, who traveled with only a dozen players, were out of pitching and the dangerous Dixie bats took advantage.

The Flyers opened up the bottom of the fourth by getting the first 12 batters safely on board – single, single, walk, single, walk, walk, single, double, hit batter, double, home run, home run. Those last two long balls, one by Tyson Miller and the other by Tyson Fisher, came as the rain started to fall at Flyer Field. Regardless, it ended up being a 12-run rally that sent the game into mercy-rule mode. BB Blanchard struck out the side in the top of the fifth to end the game.

“I was just trying to hit it hard and hit a line drive,” Tyson Miller said of his first varsity home run. “My approach was just something up the middle. I got an inside pitch and turned on it. It felt really good. I knew it was gone when I hit it.”

Miller, a junior, ended up with three hits in the game and was 4 for 8 with five RBIs and five runs scored in the two games.

Dixie, which is averaging 10.1 runs a game so far this season, takes the first region bye next week and instead will travel to play Cottonwood, Timpanogas and Copper Hills next weekend.

Snow Canyon 6, Ridgeline 5
Snow Canyon 6, Weber 0

The Warriors haven’t been as flashy as rival Dixie, but are still winning against all comers. Snow Canyon improved to 8-0 with a pair of Saturday victories.

In the early game, the RiverHawks jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first inning-and-a-half. A one-out triple in the bottom of the fourth by Braden Baker scored a run and made it 5-2, and Jed Jensen singled Baker home two batters later to cut it to 5-3.

In the fifth, Zack Nowatzke ripped a two-run double to left to tie the game with with one out. Two batters later, Travis Davenport hit a hot shot to short that was mishandled by Ridgeline and brought Nowatzke home with the go-ahead run.

Davenport then pitched a hitless seventh to record the win for the Warriors. Baker led the SC hitting attack with two base knocks, including that big triple.

File photo, Snow Canyon’s Jed Jensen (14), Snow Canyon vs. Bishop Gorman, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 28, 2017, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

In the late game, Jensen was masterful on the mound, shutting out Weber while striking out 10 and allowing just three hits, with no walks.

His teammates got him the lead early as Austin Deming knocked home Brooks Sampson in the top of the first. Austin Staheli and Davenport got RBIs in the second to make it 3-0 and the lead grew to 5-0 after Nowatzke doubled home one run and later scored himself.

Davenport continued his big day with an RBI single in the sixth that was a little icing on the cake. Jensen ended the game by striking out the final Weber batter on three straight strikes.

Jensen also had two base hits of his own, as did Staheli and Seth Smith. Snow Canyon had 11 hits and four walks to just three hits and no walks for Weber. Smith also walked twice and one of his hits was a triple.

The Warriors open Region 9 play with a two-game set against Canyon View. The Falcons host on Tuesday with a 4 p.m. start. Snow Canyon hosts the second game Friday at 7 p.m.

Desert Hills 10, Maple Mountain 0
Desert Hills 5, Corner Canyon 4

Drew Thorpe was masterful with his arm and Bronson Andrus was just as good with his bat in the early shutout of the Golden Eagles.

Thorpe hurled six innings of one-hit ball, allowing just a single and a walk to Maple Mountain. Andrus, meanwhile, had a double, a triple and five RBIs for the Thunder offense.

Desert Hills played small ball in the first inning and plated two runs, then knocked home three more in the third. In the fifth, Andrus hit a triple off the fence in center field that scored Logan Wilstead and Sam Rhoton. Andrus then activated the mercy rule and ended the game with a two-run double with the bases loaded and one out in the sixth.

File photo, Desert Hills’ Drew Thorpe (8) makes a throw to third for a force out, Desert Hills vs. Dixie, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Apr. 12, 2016, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Thorpe, who had 11 strikeouts on the mound, also had two hits, as did teammates Rhoton and Trey Allred.

In the later game, Corner Canyon jumped on the Thunder for two runs in the top of the first. But Desert Hills answered in a big way, with Trey Allred walking to start off a four-run rally. Two errors also helped the DH cause, especially an overthrow by the CCHS pitcher on a Kayden Goodman bunt that ended up bringing home two runs.

The Chargers tied the game with two runs in the top of the third and the game would stay at 4-4 all the way until the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and the game seemingly headed to extra innings, Andrus and Blake Milne hit back-to-back singles. Andrus then came in to score on a misplayed ball by the Corner Canyon center fielder to end the game.

Lance Kinross was excellent in relief, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 11 in 6.1 innings of work. Andrus finished with two base hits and Thorpe, Allred and Mason Creager all rapped out doubles.

The Thunder, 7-1, start region play with a two-game set against Cedar next week. Tuesday will be a 7 p.m. home game against the Redmen and Friday will be a 4 p.m. roadie.

Pine View 9, Kanab 2

The Panthers improved to 6-1-1 with the big win over the Cowboys at Panther Field Friday.

Pitchers Dawson Staheli, Bridger Barney and Cody Riddle teamed up for the win, with Roman Lafemina recording three hits for Pine View.

The Panthers went up 2-0 in the top of the second as Jaiger Crosby singled home Porter Dombrowski and then scored himself on an RBI by Connor Moss.

The lead went to 4-0 in the third on RBI singles by Luke Green and Crosby. Pine View got three more runs in the fourth, with Riddle ripping an RBI double, Lafemina scoring on a wild pitch and Riddle scoring on an RBI by Green.

Kanab got on the board with run in the sixth and one in the seventh, but Pine View matched both of those for the big win.

The Panthers had 10 hits and eight walks in the game, while allowing just three hits and six walks.

Pine View will play two games with Hurricane next week. Tuesday’s will be at PVHS and Friday’s at Hurricane. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.

Cedar 7, Sky View 4

The Redmen have won two straight after the afternoon win against the Bobcats.

Cedar broke open a 2-2 game with two runs in the top of the fifth and three in the top of the sixth to take a commanding lead.

Luke Maggio had a monster game as he collected three hits, had two RBIs and scored twice. Senior Chase Houston also played well, hitting a home run in the Redmen win.

Houston’s homer broke the 2-2 tie with two outs in the fifth and with a man on board. In the sixth, Jake Jenkins hit an RBI single to make it 5-2 and Maggio ripped a two-run single to left field to make it 7-2.

Logan Smith pitched into the seventh inning to get the win for Cedar, with Houston closing out the final two outs.

Cedar, 3-5, plays two against Desert Hills next week to open region. Tuesday will be a 7 p.m. road game against the Thunder and Friday will be a 4 p.m. home meeting.

Sky View 12, Hurricane 2

The Tigers were out of pitching and the Bobcats took advantage in this Saturday afternoon contest. Sky View scored 10 of their 12 runs in the first three innings.

Hurricane did get seven hits, including two each from Brian Long, Kage Akipoleki and Brigham Hirschi. But only one of those hits was for extra bases (a double by Long) and the Tigers only had two walks in the game. Sky View had 14 hits, including four doubles.

Hurricane, 4-4, opens region play next week with two games vs. Pine View. Tuesday’s will be at PVHS and Friday’s at Hurricane. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Region 9 results
Dixie 15, Wood River (Idaho) 2
Dixie 7, Wasatch 6
Snow Canyon 6, Ridgeline 5
Snow Canyon 6, Weber 0
Sky View 12, Hurricane 2
Pine View 9, Kanab 2
Desert Hills 10, Maple Mountain 0
Desert Hills 5, Corner Canyon 4
Cedar 7, Sky View 3

Region 9 preseason records
Dixie  10-0
Snow Canyon  8-0
Desert Hills  7-1
Pine View  6-1-1
Canyon View  4-1
Hurricane  4-4
Cedar  3-5

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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