High school baseball: First-inning outburst helps Panguitch pound past Piute

OREM — In their three Region 20 losses, the first inning was the Panguitch Bobcats' Achilles' heel.

The Bobcats quickly fell behind and couldn't recover in losses to Milford, Wayne and Piute. Panguitch obviously learned its lesson from those defeats, and applied it during an outstanding run in the 1A state tournament.

The Bobcats scored eight runs in the first inning and then cruised to a 13-3 win over Piute in the 1A state championship baseball game at Utah Valley University on Saturday afternoon.

In three state tournament games, Panguitch scored a total of 23 first-inning runs, while its opponents scored just three.

"It helped us a lot," said Panguitch's Brooks Leach, who was the winning pitcher in Saturday's championship game. "It gave us confidence. Everybody in the batting order started out strong. We started strong, finished strong."

The Bobcats actually let Piute jump out in front on Saturday. Piute's Tyson Westwood, who was clutch throughout the state tournament, hit a two-run single in the first to give the Thunderbirds an early lead. But Panguitch responded with a dazzling run that clinched its third state baseball championship in the last seven years and sixth overall.

The Bobcats sent 10 batters to the plate before recording an out in the first inning, scoring eight runs off five hits while taking advantage of three Piute errors. Leach, the 10th batter of the inning, hit a two-run single to give Panguitch an 8-2 lead.

"All year, our problem has been the first inning," said Bobcats coach Clint Barney. "When they got two (runs), I thought 'Here we go again.' Matching the two runs would have been big. Getting eight was pretty good."

Leach was able to settle in with the big lead, as he scattered four hits after the first inning. He finished with five strikeouts. He also helped himself from the plate with a triple and two RBIs from the team's leadoff spot.

Leach was the Bobcats' unquestioned leader during the 2009 season.

"He peaked at the right time, which was big," Barney said. "He pitched every big game for us. His bat's just been big."

Just about everyone in Panguitch's lineup contributed to the team's championship win. Freshman Dalan Bennett had three hits and four RBIs, and he ended the game in the fifth inning with a two-run single. Cameron Fawson had three hits and an RBI, and Riley Miller had two hits and an RBI. Zach Brophy scored three runs.