5A high school softball : Dons need extras to get past Wolves

SPANISH FORK — Flashes of last year floated through the mind of Spanish Fork softball coach Don Andrews as his team trailed throughout most of Thursday's second-round 5A softball game against Fremont.

A year ago, after a promising season and a Region 4 championship, the Dons lost their second-round game against Riverton and ended up in the one-loss bracket before even heading up to Valley Complex. Andrews did not want his team taking the same path this year.

And after a couple of Fremont errors in the seventh and eighth innings, the Dons scratched their way back to pull off a 4-3 extra-inning victory, putting themselves into the winners' bracket at Valley Complex next Tuesday.

After the Silver Wolves picked up three runs in the first four innings, and the Dons struggled to hit Fremont's pitching, it was looking likely that Fremont would pick up the second-round upset. But the Dons came to life in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs. And with Fremont leading 3-2, the Dons started seeing a little luck come their way.

Spanish Fork scored the tying run in the bottom of the seventh without a single hit. Two walks put runners on first and second, after which Fremont's second baseman bobbled a routine ground ball by Kylie Brinkerhoff. With the bases loaded, Katelyn Elliott drew a walk to force the tying run home.

"I've always said you have to be good, and you have to be lucky. I just hope we haven't run out of our luck now," said Andrews after the Dons had even more luck go their way in the bottom of the eighth.

After stopping a Fremont scoring attempt in the top of the eighth, with a runner starting on second base in accordance with the international tiebreak rule, the Dons looked to be heading toward the same fate in its half. Kylie Bufton bunted the runner to third, but then Fremont pitcher Angela Devries recorded a strike out to give them two outs with a runner on third.

A fairly routine grounder by Patti Ferguson appeared to have ended the frame and force another inning, but the throw to first base went high and wide, allowing Ferguson to reach first and Lindsey Healey to score from third, giving the Dons the 4-3 win.

"I really thought she was going to be out. I figured that's the end of that. Let's go another one. That short stop is a really good player, and eventually that happens even to good players," said Andrews, who was happy to have a little luck when his team appeared a little sluggish, especially in their favorite place — the batters' box.