High school softball: Lehi finds good even in defeat

SPANISH FORK — It isn't often that the coach of the losing team is more upbeat than the coach of the winning team, but when you're Lehi softball coach Leslie Warr and your team just came from six runs down in the top of the seventh only to lose to No. 2 Spanish Fork by only one run 9-8, that's what happens.

"We've been struggling all year, but this one was nothing to hang our heads about. It should give them confidence that they can hang with Spanish Fork," said Warr. "That was a nice comeback. We had nothing to lose. They (the Dons) had just scored four runs, and I told them to go out there and score six runs, and they did it."

Though the Dons were up 4-2 heading into the sixth inning, they hadn't really blown up with the bats throughout the game, only picking up a single run in each of the first four innings. But they put on some cushion in the sixth, cushion that Dons' coach Don Andrews claimed still wasn't enough. But it turned out to be very important that four runs crossed the plate giving Spanish Fork that 8-2 lead heading into the fateful seventh.

A walk, an error, a single and a pair of doubles gave the Dons the four runs in the sixth, but it was Lehi that put together the stunner with two outs in the seventh.

Kjersti Secretan put herself aboard first with a walk before the next two batters flew out and grounded out, giving the Pioneers a runner on first with two outs and a six-run deficit. Not good odds against a team as powerful as Spanish Fork.

But that's when the Dons mental errors came into play, combined with some solid baserunning and a couple of long balls to even things up for the Pioneers.

Bree McBride reached on a fielder's choice that neglected to get the runner at third base, a pair of singles and RBIs by Annie Nielsen and Ariel Zimmerman followed, putting two runners on and the Pioneers down only 8-4, still with two outs.

That's when Whitney Cook stepped up to the plate and delivered a three-run dinger over the right field fence to put three more runs on the scoreboard and leave the Pioneers with only an 8-7 deficit.

Ashley Zimmerman followed the long ball with one of her own over the center field fence, evening things up and putting the Dons into a tough position.

Spanish Fork freshman pitcher Kailey Christensen then delivered a strike out to finish off the inning and send the Dons into the bottom of the seventh with some work to do.