Cavemen roll behind big fifth inning

AMERICAN FORK — The Cavemen exploded for seven runs and seven hits in the fifth inning as American Fork defeated Timpview easily 15-9 on a windy day in American Fork.

Cavemen head coach Jared Ingersoll said overall his team played well against Timpview, but they need to make improvements defensively as his team committed three errors on the day.

"Our defense has to step up," Ingersoll said. "Each player has been challenged and hopefully they can rise to the occasion. Overall it was a good win for us, but we're not satisfied yet."

The Cavemen entered the fifth holding a narrow 7-6 lead, which quickly turned into an 8-7 deficit when Timpview scored two in the top of the inning.

The first came when Taylor Barrett blasted a double to left field, scoring Luke Ashworth. Barrett finished the game with two doubles and four RBI.

Barrett's RBI was followed up by an RBI single by Chase Morgan, giving Timpview the lead.

Trailing by one run entering the bottom of the fifth, right fielder T.J. Spencer got things rolling for the Cavemen when he hit a one-out double. Tyson Davis then recorded a triple to center, scoring Spencer.

Davis was thrown out at home, when Austin Haws hit the ball to Barrett, Timpview's shortstop, resulting in a fielder's choice.

With two outs in the inning, American Fork appeared to have its back against the wall, but that's when things really started going the Cavemen's way.

Shay Conder, who hit a two-run homer in the first inning, doubled to score Haws. Then Hap Holmstead ripped an RBI single. Steve Parker then cleared the bases with a home run to left.

It appeared American Fork was going to have back-to-back homers, but Casey Haughton's attempt bounced off the wall, resulting in a double.

The Cavemen added two more runs in the inning. In total, 10 players batted in the inning, seven recorded hits and seven scored to put American Fork up 14-8.

Each team added one run in the sixth inning to account for the final score.

"If we can execute small ball like we did in that inning, we should be able to score seven (in an inning) more often," Ingersoll said.

These same two teams will face off again next Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Timpview.