High school softball: Tooele blanks Lehi to move to 4A title game

TAYLORSVILLE — The Tooele Buffaloes decided to make their run to the title game a little easier this season than it was from the one-loss bracket last year. With Mattie Snow in the circle to pitch a pair of shutouts, they did just that and put themselves squarely into the championship game Thursday at 5 p.m. at Valley complex with a 3-0 victory over the Lehi Pioneers in the semifinals.

"This was huge. We did it the hard way last year. This is so much better. It's better than being on the diamond playing three games tomorrow. The players will have some rest," said Tooele coach Steve Snow.

His star pitcher agreed. "This is way easier than last year," added Snow when her second game of the day ended and her arm was feeling no worse for the wear.

More than halfway through the game there was still no score as the pitchers and defense were putting up dominating performances. Then Tooele came up to bat in the bottom of the fifth.

Sophomore Chance Hegsted led things off with a single down the first base line. The game against the Pioneers marked her first varsity start of the year, and the single was her second hit of the day.

Hegsted came up for the Buffaloes to pinch hit in the first game of the day against Spanish Fork and picked up a single, then she placed her second single perfectly to set Tooele up for the big inning that would prove to win the game.

Snow then added a single to right center to put runners on first and third with no outs. A wild pitch brought Hegsted home with what turned out to be the game-winner, and then it was time for Hadli Sorenson to shine as she torpedoed a home run over the center field fence to bring home a pair and give the Buffaloes a 3-0 cushion.

"Lehi was a very tough team. This was a game of who made a mistake. Lehi has it together and plays a very tight defense," said Snow.

But it was Lehi that made that single mistake in a well-fought ball game on both sides. And it was Lehi that provided a little drama for both teams in the top of the seventh.

First, pitcher Ariel Zimmerman singled up the middle to lead things off for the Pioneers, then Annie Nielsen whipped up a ground rule double to right field that jumped the fence and put runners on second and third.

Then the Lehi momentum was halted cold as catcher Brianne McBride was up to bat and found the ball crashing off her hand. She then exited the game with the injury, and Lehi just stalled from the batters' box.