West Ridge, Panguitch to meet for 1A baseball crown

OREM — It's a group that hasn't seen much success, and that fact wasn't overlooked by its leader.

Moments after second-ranked West Ridge Academy rallied for a 10-4 win over No. 5 Wayne in the semifinals of the 1A baseball tournament Friday afternoon, catcher Anthony Turnbull was asked what it meant to advance to the championship game.

"We shouldn't even be here," he said.

West Ridge Academy, formerly known as the Utah Boys' Ranch, houses roughly 130 students and is primarily an early-intervention program.

With several of those students looking on, Turnbull helped lead the Eagles past Wayne and into the title game.

West Ridge will play No. 1 Panguitch today at noon on Utah Valley State's campus.

After leading much of the contest 3-2, the Eagles surrendered two runs in the top of the sixth inning as Wayne found itself six outs from the championship contest.

That didn't faze West Ridge, though, and the team rallied in the bottom-half of the frame. It batted through the order in that inning, pounding out five hits and scoring seven runs.

"They never think they're going to lose," said coach Dave Brock.

Alex Nelson, who earned the pitching victory in relief, notched a one-run double to tie the contest. Then Anthony Photieson put West Ridge back in front, driving in Fernando Hernandez and Aaron Scarborough before Tanner Sterling added a one-run single.

One batter later, Turnbull delivered the knock-out punch, crushing a two-run triple into left-center off pitcher Mike Hofer.

Hofer was outstanding for the Badgers, weaving in and out of trouble through much of the game, but he seemed to run out of gas in the sixth.

Turnbull finished the contest 2-for-4 with four RBIs. He also started the game on the mound and pitched successfully into the sixth. Though Turnbull sometimes struggled with his command, he still managed to strike out eight batters.

"He really battled on the mound today," said Brock.

Turnbull will be catching for ace Wade Whitely today when the Eagles face top-ranked Panguitch. They split during the regular season.

Because Turnbull gave West Ridge so many innings against Wayne, it allowed Brock to preserve Whitely for the championship game.