High school baseball: Seventh-inning rally puts Panguitch in title game

ST. GEORGE — In a game thought unlikely to live up to the Blogosphere hype, the Panguitch High Bobcats rallied with four runs in the top of the seventh inning to top Valley High, 9-6, to the delight — and collective sigh — of partisan fans who had predicted nothing short of an easy win at Bruce Hurst Stadium Friday afternoon.

The victory celebration was slow in coming, but good enough to advance the Bobcats to Saturday's 1A state championship game against Wayne, who followed with a comfortable semifinal 8-4 win over West Ridge Academy.

Trailing 6-5 going into the final inning, Panguitch apparently had the Valley Buffalo right where they wanted them — at the top of the Panguitch batting order. And leadoff batter Trac Norris wasted little time before rapping a two-strike triple down the left-field line. With a runner on third and no outs, it was likely the Bobcats would at least tie the game. After Trevor Peterson grounded out and Norris was held at third on a nice play by first baseman Tyler Spencer, Valley was only two outs from the finals.

But eventual winning pitcher Brooks Leach helped his own cause with a single, which tied the score, 6-6, then scored from first on a full-count double by catcher Riley Taylor to put Panguitch up by one, 7-6. The Bobcats scored two more to end their half of the inning with four hits and four runs, aided by one of Valley's six errors on the game.

"We've come from behind three times against Valley this year," said Panguitch assistant coach Jason Miller. "In our last at-bat, we were where we wanted to be with our hitting guys."

Coach Clint Barney agreed. "In our huddle, I told the team there is no reason we couldn't get some runs in the 7th," he said. "We were at the right spot in our lineup."

That "right spot" in the lineup had worked early in the game, as Panguitch jumped off to a 4-0 lead the first inning on three hits, including a Leach RBI triple. Valley had tossed in a couple of errors and two wild pitches to hurt its cause early on. But in the bottom of the inning, the Buffalo had three runs on three hits of their own and trailed by only one 4-3.

Fortunately for Valley, they mixed some nice defense among a few miscues. An error cost them a run in the second, but in the top of the third, Valley erased an error by shortstop Matt Hoyt with a nice double-play, started by Hoyt, to end the inning.

In the Bobcats' half of the fourth, a single, combined with another error, put two men in scoring position with Leach at bat for Panguitch. On a full count, he flied out deep to center to end the inning. Panguitch then gave up two runs on two hits and two errors in the bottom of the fourth and the game was tied, 5-5.