Lions edge Thunderbirds in Region 7

PROVO — Payson beat host Timpview 10-8 Wednesday in a Region 7 baseball matchup filled with postseason implications.

The victory moves the Lions (8-9, 5-5) a full game ahead of the T-Birds (4-11, 4-6) with five games left on the schedule as they battle each other for the region's fourth and final playoff spot.

Casey Juber, Payson's starting pitcher, gave up six runs over three innings but went 5 for 5 and capped a five-run Lion comeback with a mammoth, game-tying home run.

"That was the first time Casey had pitched in a while," Payson coach Scott Haney said. "He's been sore. I thought he kind of labored out there today.

"But he's been swinging the bat so well. He had that big home run today — he comes right back and hits the ball hard."

Trailing 8-3 in the top of the fifth inning, the Lions were on the ropes. Payson first baseman Garrett Cannon grounded into an apparent inning-ending double play. All four members of the Timpview infield began running toward the T-Bird dugout before they realized the umpire had called Cannon safe at first.

The Lions didn't let the opportunity pass them by. Beau Bufton, Brett Partridge and Scott Walton got three consecutive two-out hits, and by the end of the inning, Payson had cut Timpview's lead to 8-6.

Jared Cook led off the top of the sixth for the Lions with a double. To the plate stepped Juber, who by that time was already 3-for-3. T-Bird pitcher Josh Barber made the mistake of leaving a fastball out over the plate for Juber, who absolutely crushed the ball and sent it over the extended fence in dead center field to tie the game at 8-8.

Partridge drove home Cannon with the go-ahead run three batters later.

Sam Spencer played a key role for Payson. When Juber left the mound after three innings because of arm stiffness (Juber moved over to second base in part so that he wouldn't have to throw the ball very far), Spencer came on in relief and slowed the Timpview offense down. He yielded two runs over three innings, but perhaps most important was how he sent the T-Birds down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth after the Lions took the lead in the top half of the inning.

"For Sam Spencer, a senior we don't use a lot who hasn't pitched for a while, to come in and chew up some innings was awesome," Haney said.

Tyler Short pitched a scoreless seventh for Payson to earn the save.

Timpview led 6-1 after three innings. Austin Bingham hit a home run for the T-Birds in the home half of the fourth.

Wednesday's final score nearly replicated the outcome of the teams' previous engagement two weeks ago when Payson defeated Timpview, 10-9.

The Lions and T-Birds will meet a third time May 10.