High school softball: Defense boosts Dons to crucial win over Pioneers

LEHI — Spanish Fork softball coach Don Andrews has no confusion about how important his team's second game against Lehi was this season.

"This game, to me, was for all the marbles. Really it isn't, but if we lost it's a big question mark. It was huge. Now that we've won, we have a two-game lead," said Andrews after taking a deep breath after snatching the 5-2 victory Thursday.

His team now stands 6-0 in Region 4, a full two games ahead of both Lehi and Pleasant Grove, which find themselves tied for second at 4-2.

And for a game that was supposed to be filled with all sorts of hitting fireworks, this game was actually decided by defense. Not to say the teams didn't get their hits as the Dons picked up nine hits and the Pioneers snatched seven of their own. But it was the defense that really pulled out all the stops.

"What I thought won the game was two catches by Kylie Bufton and Lyndsey Healey," said Andrews, adding that without those catches it would have been a different ballgame.

Bufton's catch came in the bottom of the fourth with runners on first and second and the Pioneers threatening to score a pair of runs if the ball got by her. But she ran full force and dove for the ball, barely able to come up with it in her mitt, ending the inning and the Pioneers' chance to score.

And in addition to her great fielding play and Healey's, the Dons came up with a double play in the bottom of the third that also ended the inning after the Pioneers had place two runners on base.

Ariel Zimmerman lined out to Katelyn Elliott at shortstop, who then tossed the ball over to second, catching the runner off the bag for the second and third outs.

The Dons weren't the only team making spectacular saves in the field. Lehi short stop Ally White made a great diving catch in the top of the fifth for the second out, and Lindsey Boulter snared a ball hit by Tina Ferguson on a diving catch in right field.

Overall, though there were three tough errors in the contest, the spectacular plays overshadowed any mistakes either team made, and all three errors came on difficult plays in the field.

But the two teams, known for some hot bats, did have the hitting working as well, especially Spanish Fork's Ferguson, who nailed a pair of singles and solo home run over the fence in center to lead off the top of the fifth. From the moment the ball left her bat there was no question about its destination.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without her next year, maybe retire," joked Andrews about Ferguson.