American Fork makes use of errors

OREM — With the scoreboard showing 7-1 after three innings of the American Fork versus Mountain View baseball game Friday, one fan asked another if the numbers represented runs or errors.

It could have been both.

In the first three innings of the Region 4 opener, five Cavemen hitters reached base compliments of a Mountain View error, and all five scored. For the game the Bruins committed seven errors and six of those Cavemen batters crossed home plate in American Fork's 9-1 victory.

"Mountain View normally doesn't make mistakes like that, but when they did I thought our guys did a good job getting the runs in," American Fork coach Jared Ingersol said.

While the Cavemen made the Bruins pay for their mistakes, that wasn't the only reason American Fork came out on top. The pitching of starter Hap Holmstead and reliever Aaron Baddley had a lot to do with the rout. Holmstead allowed only five hits in five innings and walked only one — and that runner was quickly erased on a great diving-catch double play by left fielder Kyle Parkinson. Holmstead ended two innings with strikeouts with Bruins' runners in scoring position. Baddley faced seven hitters in his two innings of work and struck out five of them.

"Our pitchers did an excellent job of throwing strikes and getting outs when we needed them," Ingersol said.

American Fork's first two batters reached base in the first inning on errors by Mountain View's infield. Steve Parker drove in the first run with a fisted single over shortstop, and Holmstead then pushed two more across with a single to right field — putting the Cavemen up 3-0.

The Bruins also took advantage of an extra out by scoring a run in the first inning on a fielder's choice grounder, which came after a Cavemen error on what should have been a double-play grounder.

From that point on, however, all of the misfortunes belonged to the Bruins. The Cavemen added four more runs in the second to go up comfortably 7-1 — with the runs coming from three hits and two Mountain View errors. Gentry Bean doubled to open the inning, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Jones. Parker then reached on a throwing error, advanced to third on a single by T.J. Spencer and scored on another mishandled ground ball. Spencer scored on a double steal and Austin Haws scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Holmstead.

In the third, Parker knocked in another runner — who reached on an error — and the Cavemen's last run came in the seventh courtesy of two more Mountain View errors.

"With this region being as strong as it is, it was important for us to get off on the right foot," Ingersol said.

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E-mail: jimr@desnews.com