ST. GEORGE — Region 9 baseball teams went 2-1 in the first round of bracket play at the 4A state tournament Monday in Salt Lake City before Mother Nature called a halt to the proceedings.
No. 1 Dixie and No. 2 Snow Canyon won while No. 7 Crimson Cliffs lost in the ongoing tournament at Cate Field at Salt Lake Community College.
No. 4 seed Desert Hills led No. 5 Bear River 8-5 when play was suspended due to weather.
Also, No. 3 Timpanogos defeated No. 6 Park City 3-2 in a dramatic walk-off victory.
According to Utah High School Activities Association statistics, Region 9 has produced the past five 4A state baseball champions.
Dixie won the title in 2018, Desert Hills in 2019, Snow Canyon in 2021 after the pandemic year and Crimson Cliffs the past two 4A championships.
Here’s a look at the three first-round 4A tournament games featuring Region 9 teams.
Follow St. George News Sports for complete coverage of the 4A state baseball tournament and stream the games live at The Fan Sports Network.
Snow Canyon 3, Crimson Cliffs 2
In a rematch of last year’s 4A state championship game, Warriors senior pitcher Kyson Goates went the distance and won in a nail-biter.
Goates struck out two Mustangs and walked none, scattering seven hits and putting up zeros on the scoreboard over the final four innings of the contest.
Ty West smoked a leadoff double in the top of the first, then came around to score on Jason Mcarthur’s RBI triple and Crimson quickly led 1-0.
Makaio Swensen singled in the bottom of the first and the No. 2 Warriors loaded the bases after a walk and a hit batter.
Crimson starting pitcher Madden Smith then coaxed a 4-6-3 double play off Crew Secrist’s bat, but Swensen came in to score on the play.
Damon Ence crossed the plate after a wild pitch and Snow Canyon took the lead right back 2-1.
The Region 9 champion Warriors plated another run in the bottom of the second after a fielder’s choice brought in Andrew Lyon, who had walked, and Snow Canyon led 3-1.
No. 7 Crimson answered back in the top of the third when West smacked a leadoff single, took second on a balk and third on a groundout.
Then West scored when Mcarthur hit into a fielder’s choice and the Mustangs trailed by one. There would be no more scoring in the contest.
Snow Canyon’s defense backed up Goates with a double play in each of the final three frames.
Smith, a sophomore making his first varsity start for the Mustangs, finished with the loss. He pitched 4.2 innings and yielded three runs off five Snow Canyon hits. Smith walked four batters and struck out none.
It was deja vu for Crimson; last year the Mustangs fell in the first game of the 4A state tournament, forcing them into the lower bracket.
Crimson responded by winning their next six games to capture a second consecutive 4A title.
Dixie 10, Ridgeline 6
The top overall seed Flyers set the tone early, batting around in the first inning and then going on to overwhelm the No. 7 Riverhawks.
Dixie jumped all over Ridgeline starter Easton Hammond. Boston Vest started the outburst with a one-out single in the bottom of the first inning.
Vest later scored on a wild pitch. Hammond threw wild again, scoring a second Dixie run.
Max Orton then stung a single for two RBIs. Hammond hit two batters and loaded the bases.
Ridge Erickson, batting for the second time in the inning, crushed a double into the corner and three Flyers came in to score.
Vest, who finished with three hits, followed with an RBI double to chase Hammond. When the dust settled Dixie went into the second inning ahead 8-0.
Dixie starting pitcher Braxton Yates put in five innings of work to get the win. The lefty’s line read six runs on nine hits. He struck out eight Riverhawks and walked none.
Logan Leavitt relieved Yates on the hill and didn’t allow a hit or a run in his two frames. He fanned two batters.
Desert Hills 8, Bear River 5, postponed
Monday’s nightcap saw the Thunder rally to take the lead shortly before the game was delayed due to rain and lightning.
Jace Fillmore’s three-run home run gave the Thunder their first lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Umpires pulled the players off the field for their own safety at 9 p.m. before the sixth was set to start.
Rules demand at least a 30-minute delay to see if the storm passes. Most likely, the game will have to be finished Tuesday morning before the rest of the bracket play resumes.
Click here to see the updated bracket in the 4A state baseball tournament.
Tuesday’s 4A state baseball playoff games:
- No. 7 Crimson Cliffs v. No. 6 Park City, 11 a.m.
- No. 8 Ridgeline v. No. 4 Desert Hills or No. 5 Bear River, 1:30 p.m.
- No. 3 Timpanogos v. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4:30 p.m.
- No. 1 Dixie v. No. 4 Desert Hills or No. 5 Bear River, 7 p.m.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.