5A high school softball championship: It may not have been dream scenario, but Roy captures title

TAYLORSVILLE — It was not the game Macauley Flint wanted to throw in her final high school appearance.

Thanks to a little help from her teammates, however, it turned out to be the ending they'd all envisioned for more than a year.

"That's about as bad as I've seen Macauley throw in four years," said her father and Roy assistant coach Travis Flint after Roy defeated Murray 9-7 for the 5A state softball title at the Valley Complex. "She had cramps in her arms and hands and she was struggling."

Her father called a time out and reminded her of one very important fact — softball is a team sport.

"I think I was a little bipolar," said Macauley, the 5A Tournament MVP. "I have the best team ever, and I had to just take a deep breath and remember that."

It did not help the senior's confidence that she gave up a single to the Spartans' craftiest base runner Malia Campos and then Maddy Woodard got on base on an error. Then, with two outs, leftfielder Tanisha Anderson smashed a home run to give Murray a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Travis Flint reminded his daughter that she didn't need to do everything.

"I said, 'Maybe this isn't the way you dreamed it would be, but the opportunity is still there,' " he said. "And she gutted through it."

Both coaches and Macauley credited the team's offense for giving them the edge against a talented and tenacious Murray squad. Roy had three home runs, the first of which was a three-run shot by Bryce Mitchell that sailed over the left field fence in the third inning.

Headed into the bottom of the fifth inning, the game was tied at 4-4. In the bottom of the fifth, Meagan Parker hit a two-run home run to give Roy a two-run advantage.

Murray, however, wasn't going down easy.

"It was like a Rocky movie," said Travis Flint throwing a punch in the air. "It was like, 'Just go down!' But that's how you want a championship to be."

Murray head coach Lisa Parker was proud of the way the Spartans battled.

"It was a good game," Parker said. "They kept fighting, and they fought hard. I don't think anybody thought we'd be here today. They came back strong today after losing (to Roy) last night, and they fought and fought."