Timpanogos dumps T-Ville

OREM — In a second-round battle with tradition-rich Taylorsville, Timpanogos' baseball team stuck to the same principles it's utilized all year.

The Timberwolves knocked out hits in workmanlike fashion, getting runners on base and moving them over consistently through the ballgame in picking up a 7-3 win Wednesday to move on to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A baseball tournament.

The T-Wolves will next face Fremont, a surprise 9-8 winner over Lone Peak.

Whether by a hit or a walk, Timpanogos managed to get all six lead-off hitters on base, setting the tone.

"We were able to get some lead-off guys and move them around, and able to get some home," said Timpanogos coach Kim Nelson. "Where we've had success is moving runners and driving them in. There's no reason to try and change it now."

Nelson's squad also got a boost from five Warrior errors, four of which led directly to runs for Timpanogos. In the first inning, consecutive wild pitches allowed the T-Wolves' Robbie Carter to cross the plate, as the Taylorsville catcher couldn't seem to get a handle on the ball.

Two batters later, an overthrow to first base by the Warriors let Brett Lopez slide home, giving Timpanogos an early 2-0 lead.

After a second-inning solo homer from Taylorsville's CJ Baker got the Warriors on the board, Timpanogos came right back in the bottom of the inning. Christian Stewart stole home while the fielders were busy chasing Timpanogos' Taylor Lyons, who was attempting to steal second. Consecutive hits by Carter and Lopez then drove in the fourth and fifth runs for Timpanogos, which opened a 5-1 lead.

Taylorsville again narrowed the gap, this time with a two-run shot over the left-field wall by Jud Jensen, pulling the Warriors within two and giving them the momentum. They would hold that momentum until the top of the fifth, when they loaded the bases on Timpanogos starter Rhett Nelson. In came reliever Gentry Croft, who quickly retired the side.

"I'm proud of him," Kim Nelson said of Croft, who just recently adapted to his reliever role. "(Tuesday) I could just see his whole countenance change. He's just going out there with confidence, and that certainly gives me confidence."

Timpanogos would tack on one more in the fifth, as another error at first on Lyons' single allowed Stewart to cross the plate, providing the final 7-3 margin. Timpanogos and Fremont will square off Tuesday at 7 p.m. at BYU.

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