High school baseball: Cash Harris' clutch hit powers Riverton past Copper Hills

RIVERTON — Riverton catcher Cash Harris stood in the on-deck circle with two runners on base and teammate Dallin Chipman close to being walked in the first inning of his team's game against Copper Hills on Wednesday afternoon.

Before Chipman's at-bat was completed, Silverwolves coach Jay Applegate gave Harris a simple instruction.

"Bases loaded, get it out of the infield," Applegate told him.

The kid listened.

Harris crushed a bases-clearing triple to get Riverton started on the right foot in the team's 10-7 win over the Grizzlies. His hit put the Silverwolves up 4-0, and he later scored on a wild pitch to add to Riverton's lead.

"I was looking fastball, and I hit it as hard as I could," Harris said. "I was pretty excited. I went up thinking, 'I want to hit this ball hard.' It felt really good."

Harris' clutch hit was needed because the Silverwolves have struggled to get timely hits so far this season.

"One of the things we're not real good at right now is we're leaving runners on base," said Riverton coach Jay Applegate. "To see that in that situation, first inning, it was a big boost for us."

The Silverwolves' offense stayed hot in the second inning, as third baseman Roger Weber hit a monumental home run. He became the first player to hit a home run over the batter's eye in straightaway center on Riverton's home field. It was a two-run blast, and it put the Silverwolves up, 8-1.

"Roger Weber had a great day," Applegate said. "That ball was hit pretty well. I was happy for him."

The Silverwolves improved to 2-0 in Region 3 play and 5-4 overall. The two teams will wrap up their three-game series on Friday.

Copper Hills (0-2, 4-5 overall) showed some fight after falling behind by a huge deficit after two innings. The Grizzlies got back in the game by scoring four runs in the fourth. Austin Sheppick and Chandler Allen each drove in runs to get Copper Hills within striking distance of the Silverwolves.

But Riverton responded in the bottom of the fourth. Mitch Watrous had an RBI single, and Brady Hudson ripped a solo home run to put the Silverwolves back in control, 10-5.

"We jumped on them early, and I was happy with that," Applegate said. "They came back and got some runs, and we answered. To answer back was a positive for us."

There were plenty of positives for Riverton. Lead-off hitter Dillan Draper did his job getting on base, and he scored three runs. Watrous had three hits and three RBIs. The Silverwolves had four extra-base hits and stranded just three runners.

There were a few negatives for the Silverwolves, such as four defensive errors and their pitchers walking the Grizzlies' lead-off hitter in three different innings. But in what will surely be a heated Region 3 race, Riverton will gladly take the win even if it wasn't perfect.

"I'm happy for our team," Harris said. "We're still not as good as we can be, but we're definitely getting better."

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