High school baseball: Viewmont's bats on fire in victory over Davis

BOUNTIFUL — Garrett Bushman is on fire, and so are his Viewmont Vikings.

Bushman had two hits, including a towering two-run home run in the first inning, to help lead Viewmont to a 12-0 rout of rival Davis on a chilly Wednesday afternoon. It was the Vikings' fourth win of the week, and this one put them closer to clinching their eighth straight Region 1 championship.

No one should be surprised that Viewmont is on its way to winning another league championship, and no one should be pitching to Bushman right now. Bushman, Viewmont's centerfielder, is 11-for-11 with two home runs and three doubles this week.

"Everything he hits is just a shot," said Vikings coach Roger Farnsworth.

That included his first-inning homer against the Darts. It cleared the fence in straightaway center, and might have killed a few birds on its way down.

"The ball was carrying real well," Bushman said. "I hit it high and it just carried out. It was good."

Bushman's hot streak has rubbed off on his teammates. The Vikings have won six straight games, outscoring their opponents 68-6 during the streak.

Entering Wednesday's contest, Viewmont and Davis were separated by just a game in the Region 1 standings. But they were miles and miles apart on the Vikings' diamond. Viewmont's first eight batters reached base, and seven of them had hits. The Vikings built a 7-0 lead on those hits, giving ace Jordan Hager more than enough reason to relax.

Viewmont's players did everything in their power to make sure Wednesday's game got played under uncertain weather conditions. They put their tarp on their field at 7 a.m. and started working on it at 1 p.m. The weather cooperated at game time, allowing the two teams to get their key league contest played.

"We knew we were going to play," Bushman said. "We were all-go from the start. We were fired up. We wanted to kill them and we did."

Every Viewmont starter got at least one hit and scored a run. Catcher Michael McBride had two hits and three RBIs. Right fielder Brad Payne had a two-run single in the first to put the Vikings up 3-0.

"That's a good baseball team," said Davis coach Dave Leo. "I don't think it mattered who we had (pitching) today they would have still hit it. I think I could have thrown … who? Curt Schilling? Whitey Ford?"

It might not have mattered, considering how well the Vikings pitched and hit. Hager allowed just two hits and struck out eight in five innings. Hager's fastball was "only" hitting 88 miles per hour against the Darts. He's been clocked at 90 several times this season, so the cold probably played a factor in slowing him down.

The Vikings are unbeaten in games Hager has pitched this season.

"Jordan's a stud," Bushman said. "He throws hard. He's an animal on the mound — lights out."The two teams will rematch on Friday if the weather holds up. A Viewmont win would give the Vikings the outright Region 1 title.

e-mail: aaragon@desnews.com