ST. GEORGE — Snow Canyon is still undefeated — barely.
Senior center fielder Logan Opdahl blooped a single into right field to chase home Brock Staheli with the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday night, lifting the Warriors to a 4-3 victory over Pine View in the Region 9 opener at Warriors Field.
“That kid has been very patient and has paid his dues,” SC coach Reed Secrist said. “We had the runners going and figured if he could get it out there somewhere we’d be able to score Brock from second. It was a risky call to send the runners, but Opdahl made us look good.”
It was a fitting end to a thrilling game that saw the lead see-saw back and forth. The Panthers led 1-0 early on an RBI double by Harrison Goebel. Snow Canyon matched it with an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning by Brad Grisenti.
The game stayed tied until the bottom of the third, when the Warriors seized a 2-1 lead. Opdahl led that inning off with a bunt single, then stole second base. He scored on a hit by Jacob Frei.
Pine View regained the lead in the fifth inning when Goebel struck again. He hit a laser line drive over the fence in left-center with a man on base to make it 3-2. The Warriors responded in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Brady Sargent that plated Nick Dolce and tied the game at 3-3.
Pine View got a base runner to third in both the seventh and eighth innings, but left them stranded. The Panthers had a total of nine men left on base in the game.
Snow Canyon loaded the bases on PV starter Dakota Donovan in the bottom of the seventh, but the junior hurler used a strikeout to wriggle out of the jam.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers brought in reliever Ty Johnston. He quickly got in trouble, giving up a one-out single to Staheli and then hitting Isaac Rhea on a 2-2 count. That brought No. 9-hitter Opdahl to the plate. With the count 1-1, Secrist put both runners in motion on a hit-and-run play. The right-handed Opdahl lunged at an outside pitched and poked it well over the second baseman’s head and into right field. With Staheli on the run, he rounded third and scored easily to end the game and give SC its ninth win of the year.
“Brock did a nice job to get us going and then Opdahl stepped up big-time,” Warrriors second baseman Dolce said. “I was going crazy. I think I was already out there throwing my helmet in the air before the ball dropped. I was getting ready to celebrate.”
Rhea also had a nice game for Snow Canyon. He pitched the final two innings of relief for SC and got the win, plus he had two hits for the Warriors. Lefty Stockton Sorden pitched a scoreless sixth inning for Snow Canyon after Ike Jorgensen had gotten the Warriors to that point with the score tied.
Donovan pitched seven innings and was tagged with nine hits for the Panthers. He also struck out 10 batters and had three walks. Goebel finished the game with a single, a double and a home run and knocked home all three PV runs.
Snow Canyon, 9-0 overall and 1-0 in region, got two hits each from Frei, Dolce, Rhea and Opdahl. Pine View, 3-6 overall and 0-1 in region, got three hits each from Logan LaFemina and Goebel and two hits from Blake Ence.
The two teams square off Wednesday night at Pine View, with Jake Sargent the likely starter for the Warriors and Goebel for the Panthers. Jake Sargent missed Tuesday’s game with the flu.
Dixie 17, Hurricane 3
The Flyers beat the Tigers for the 15th time in a row, dating back to April of 2007.
On April 10, 2007. Hurricane defeated Dixie 3-2. Since then, it’s been all Flyers, including two wins last season and Tuesday night’s mercy-rule shortened game.
Dixie is also off to its best start in three years. In 2013, the Flyers started 8-0, eventually losing in the state semifinals to Spanish Fork. Dixie is currently 8-1 overall and 1-0 in region. The Flyers are averaging 11.4 runs per game.
Hurricane, 4-5 overall and 0-1 in region, will try and stop that long losing streak against DHS Friday at Don Lay Flyers Field with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
Cedar 7, Canyon View 3
Dusty Hanna hit a solo homer and Brecken Lewis pitched a complete-game victory as the Redmen opened region play with the home win.
Hanna’s bomb put Cedar ahead 2-1 in the third, but the Falcons tied it in the fourth when Jaden Black came home on a balk call on Lewis. The game stayed tied until the bottom of the sixth, when the Redmen exploded for five runs off of CV starter Ty Nielson and reliever Zack Brinkerhoff. Cedar had four hits, all singles, in the rally, including a two-run hit by Braden Lasson. One of Canyon View’s two errors in the game also aided the rally.
Lewis gave up nine hits, but kept the walks to a minimum and the Redmen defense committed no errors in the game.
Cedar is off to its best start in years, improving to 9-1 overall and 1-0 in region. The Redmen are averaging 9.7 runs per game.
Canyon View, 4-5 and 0-1, got doubles in the game from Black, Nielson, Jackson Vasi and Keaton Kringlen.
The two teams will square off again Friday at 4 p.m. at CVHS.
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Snow Canyon second baseman Nick Dolce tags out Pine View's Kash Walker, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Jake Frei coasts in to third base for the Warriors, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Hunter Hansen (18) makes contact for Pine View, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Snow Canyon starting pitcher Ike Jorgensen, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Harrison Goebel heads for third base for the Panthers, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Pine View starting pitcher Dakota Donovan, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Snow Canyon's Chance Thorkelson takes a rip at a pitch, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Panther second baseman Logan LaFemina puts the ball in play, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Ike Jorgensen, file photo from Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Logan Opdahl hustles to first base for the Warriors, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Brooks Barney puts a ball in play for the Panthers, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News Warrior catcher Brady Sargent chases down a loose ball, Pine View vs. Snow Canyon, Baseball, St. George, Utah, Mar. 17, 2015 | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
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