Taylorsville U-17 slips past Bear River in Legion tournament

KEARNS — Taylorsville U-17 first baseman Marc Reynolds doesn't usually hear what opposing fans are saying when he's preparing to bat.

But against Bear River in the first round of the American Legion state tournament, with his team needing a clutch hit late in the game on Saturday, Reynolds' ears perked up when he heard a Bears fan yelling encouragement to pitcher Hunter Payne. The Warriors, who trailed all game until Reynolds' at-bat, were down a run in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on base.

"He said, 'Let's get a strikeout here,' " Reynolds said. "I was like, 'OK.' Let me down easy."

Instead, it was Reynolds who let the Bears down quite hard and helped the Warriors thwart an upset bid.

Reynolds blasted a first-pitch fastball to the fence on the Oquirrh Park north field, scoring two runs on a triple, to give Taylorsville U-17 the lead for good. The Warriors held on to defeat the scrappy Bears, 7-5, and advance to play Murray in the second round on Monday.

"That (Reynolds' hit) was the difference," said Taylorsville U-17 coach Jackson Ewing.

Reynolds helped the Warriors avoid what would have been an upset loss. Both teams have young rosters that exclusively feature players that will return for varsity ball next year, but Taylorsville U-17 entered the game as the favorite because of the school's tradition in baseball and higher finish in its Legion league standings.

"They were tough," Ewing said. "They battled. They wouldn't give up. They just kept coming at you."

Bear River built an early 2-0 lead, and Payne nearly made it through three innings without giving up a hit. Taylorsville U-17 second baseman Colby Fratto got his team's offense going with an RBI double in the third, and Coby Harward tied the game with an RBI double.

Taylorsville U-17 had to play catch-up again, however, after Payne drilled a two-run double in the fourth to put the Bears up 5-2. Nate Hoffman entered the game in relief for the Warriors, keeping Bear River off the board until he left the contest in the seventh.

The Warriors chipped away at the Bears' advantage before Reynolds gave them a 6-5 lead. Hoffman hit an RBI single in the fourth and Dallas Carroll drove in a run in the fifth. Harward had a key bunt in the sixth, moving Fratto over to third, giving Taylorsville U-17 a great shot of at least tying the game when it trailed 5-4.

Reynolds had other ideas, though, especially after the Bear River fan taunted the wrong hitter.

"The umpire laughed," Reynolds said. "He was like, 'Can you believe that? They're ruthless.' "