High school softball: McCauley Flint doesn't flinch in the Royals' win in 5A softball semis

TAYLORSVILLE — McCauley Flint doesn't dwell on the past, but she definitely stores up information — and sometimes the emotion that goes with it.

And then, thoughtfully, patiently and skillfully, the senior pitcher uses it when she needs it most.

Like when she had to face a hitter like Murray's Tanisha Anderson in the semifinals of the 5A state softball tournament Thursday night.

"My freshman year, we played at Murray in the tournament and she hit a home run off of me," said Flint after Roy defeated Murray 4-1 in a thriller. "I knew she could really hit the ball."

With a full count, Flint threw an inside change-up to strike Anderson out.

"It was crazy," said Flint. "I jumped up — and it wasn't even the third out."

It was impressive, not just because it came against Anderson, but also because two of the Spartans' speediest base runners were on second and third. Flint said Murray's aggressive base running could be a distraction to a pitcher, but she trusted her teammates and did what she does best.

"I just have to focus on the hitter," she said. "We knew they run the bases well. Murray is a great, great team."

The Royals drew first blood when Jordynn Barrera hit the first pitch from Braylee Butcher over the fence to give Roy a 1-0 lead. Murray answered in the fourth inning when Malia Campos bunted to get on base. An error allowed her to take second. She scored Murray's only run when catcher Alyssa Strobehn hit a single. It was Campos who was on third base when Anderson struck out in the sixth.

Campos, a senior who will play with Flint at SLCC next season, was just as outstanding defensively as she was at the plate, where she went 3-for-3. Were it not for Campos, Barrera would have had two home runs. The centerfielder made a jaw-dropping catch that took her over the fence to steal what would have been Barrera's second home run of the game.

"How scary fast are they?" said Roy head coach Amanda Koford. "Murray is a fantastic team. We knew they were going to score. … We just had to find a way to win."

It was Flint who scored the go-ahead run after taking a walk in the sixth inning.

"She has 20-plus walks this season," said Koford. "She's very patient in there. And that's crazy uncommon."