Payson goes on the road to beat Orem

OREM — Visiting Payson got out to an early lead Wednesday and, after falling behind Orem in the middle innings, the Lions exploded for 10 unanswered runs and a 13-4 non-region baseball victory.

First baseman Tyler Newbold went 3-for-4 with 7 RBIs, three runs and a grand slam to pace Payson.

"For us to come out and swing the bats like we did, I was very pleased," said Lions coach Scott Haney. "(Newbold) comes right out of basketball and hits the ball well. He had a good game; he's just a great athlete."

Newbold knocked in two runs in the first inning with a single to left field.

After Payson extended its cushion to 3-0, the Tigers grabbed the lead by scoring two runs apiece in both the third and fourth innings to go ahead 4-3.

Jason Golightly relieved Orem pitcher Britten Maughan in the top of the fourth. Golightly, relying on good movement and great location with his pitches, struck out three of the first four Lions he faced.

Then, with one out in the top of the fifth and the bases empty, Newbold came to the plate. Golightly refused to give Newbold anything good to hit; the encounter resulted in Newbold walking (he would come around to score the tying run) and Golightly losing the rhythm he initially displayed upon taking the mound.

In the bottom of the fifth, a controversial call by the umpires delayed the game for almost 20 minutes. With a runner on first and two outs, an Orem batter hit a line drive come-backer that ricocheted off Payson pitcher Garrett Steele and hit the Tiger runner going from first to second. The umpires changed their minds twice before finally consulting a rule book and deciding that the applicable rule required that the runner be called out for interference.

Newbold's next chance to torment the Tigers came in the sixth. With the Lions ahead 5-4, he smacked a slicing double to the wall in right-center field to drive in a runner from first base.

Orem very nearly tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, the bases loaded and the score 7-4, a Tigers batter stepped to the plate and scorched a line drive to center field. Jared Cook, Payson's center fielder, took a step in before backpedaling and leaping to snatch the ball out of the air. Cook's catch almost certainly saved three Orem runs from scoring.

The Lions put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh. Newbold entered the batter's box with the bases loaded and, after flailing at and badly missing Golightly's first offering, smashed a towering moon shot over the wall in left for a grand slam.

Said Newbold: "The first pitch was a fastball down the middle, and I just swung hard and missed it. The next pitch was a hanging curveball. I thought he would come with some off-speed stuff after going ahead 0-and-1, so I just sat back and let 'er rip."

Payson starting pitcher Brad Smith gave up four runs over three innings. Steele, a southpaw, pitched four scoreless innings to notch his first victory of the season.