High school softball: Dons go extra mile to win league title

SPRINGVILLE — If it wasn't enough for the Spanish Fork softball team to go extra innings on Monday against Uintah to grab at least a share of the Region 8 title, the Dons went another nine innings against Springville on Tuesday to clinch it outright.

In a game with less scoring than most people expected, the two teams were even at one heading into the ninth inning, and the Dons were able to hold off the hard-charging Red Devils, winning 3-2 and finishing the region season with a 9-1 record.

"I'm kinda glad I didn't have a heart attack with two nine inning games in two days. That's the way the region championship is supposed to be. Both teams fought very hard to the end," said Spanish Fork coach Don Andrews.

The ninth inning was loaded with fireworks as the two teams each started with runners at second base because of international tiebreaker rules. The first Spanish Fork batter walked, and the Springville catcher overthrew second base on the walk, trying to throw a scare into Lyndsey Healey, who was the runner starting on second for the Dons. That overthrow led to another overthrow to third base as the runner advanced, allowing Healey to run all the way home, securing the 2-1 score.

Sophomore Staci Johnson, who replaced Sydney Butler in the fourth inning after Butler suffered an injury, then stepped calmly to the plate and bunted a single to the pitcher, putting runners on first and third with no outs. Brooke Thurgood sacrificed to left field for the RBI, sending home the second run of the inning, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Then the Red Devils got set to return the favor, as Caitlyn Erickson started on second base. An error put Brooke Budge at first in addition to Erickson at second. A pair of sacrifice flies by Brittany McCray and Nikki Brailsford scored Erickson. Although, they loaded the bases with an Aria Agle single and an Alley Brinkerhoff walk, the Red Devils couldn't bring anyone home, stranding three and falling into second place in the region with a 7-3 record.

Johnson, who played first base after replacing the injured Butler, also finished off the game with a great catch on a groundout that went to third.

"Staci makes that tough catch that ends it, and now she's a hero for the first time. She never gets to be the hero," said Andrews.

Each team was only able to manage one run in regulation and both of those scores came early. Springville put their run across in the bottom of the first on singles by Erickson and McCray and an RBI bunt by Brailsford, who picked up both Red Devil RBIs in the game.

But Spanish Fork got it right back in the top of the second as Dezlee Roberts torpedoed a home run over the left center fence.

The Dons have been battling injuries and inexperience all season long, giving people across the state and in their own region a reason to believe they would have a bit of a down season. But they proved everyone wrong.

"Good pitching kept us in games until the young kids got the hitting done," Andrews said. "These young kids have heart, they don't give up. You see what a team is made of when you have adversity. They could have folded (when team leader catcher Healey went down early in the season with a broken hand), but they didn't. It's a credit to them."

e-mail: jolsen@desnews.com