Region 9 softball: Desert Hills unbeaten, stay on top; Cedar, Snow Canyon right behind

Written by E. George Goold
April 11, 2024

ST. GEORGE — The softball team from Desert Hills dropped 18 unanswered runs on Dixie Wednesday night to remain unbeaten in Region 9 play with four games remaining.

Desert Hills’ Sienna Foster scores a run against Dixie in a Region 9 softball game, St. George, Utah, April 10, 2024 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Desert Hills grounded the Flyers with a run in the first inning, six more in the second and then 11 tallies in the third to end the game early.

Lulu West pitched two innings for the Thunder, allowing one hit while striking out three and walking one. Sadie Spencer finished things up on the bump with an inning of hitless ball. She struck out one Flyer.

Meanwhile it was a hit parade for the Desert Hills offense, which belted out 16 hits. Three Thunder batters–Riley Greene, Payten Benson, West–combined for nine hits and 11 RBIs, including West’s home run.

Hallee Heath hit a two-run home run and Bailey Lee finished with two hits and three RBIs in the victory. Nelyana Brinlagh contributed two hits, one run and one RBI for the winners.

Dixie next plays at home against Hurricane Friday night at 7 p.m. Desert Hills has a bye.

Crimson Cliffs 2, Pine View 0

The Mustangs gutted out the win Tuesday at home in a well-pitched game that saw both teams get four hits.

Crimson scored once in the bottom of the first inning and plated a second run in the bottom of the fifth to beat the Panthers.

Alexis Bang hit two of the knocks for the Mustangs while Sophie Staheli and Paige Tuckfield accounted for Crimson’s other two hits.

Paisley Lantz was credited with one RBI in the win.

Genevieve Evans safely hit twice for the Panthers, including a double. Kylie Carpenter and Abby Rosenberg recorded Pine View’s other hits in the setback.

Crimson’s Gracee Stucki hurled a gem, throwing seven innings of shutout ball. She scattered the four Panthers hits and struck out 12 batters while walking none.

Pine View’s Alexis Pollock put up a strong pitching effort, yielding the two runs off four hits over six innings. One of the runs against her was unearned. She walked two and struck out one Mustang.

The same two teams rematch at Pine View Friday night at 7 p.m.

Cedar 5, Snow Canyon 4

In a thrilling game during which neither team led by more than one run, the Cedar Reds came from behind in both the seventh and eight innings to defeat the Snow Canyon Warriors on Tuesday afternoon in Cedar City.

Cedar’s Kinzie Hawkins hits a single in the bottom of the seventh inning, bringing in teammate Kyla Johnson to tie the score 3-3, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

With Cedar trailing 4-3 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Hunter Blackner belted a walk-off double to deep right center field, bringing in teammates Kaitlin Bulloch and Shaylee Johnson to give the Reds a 5-4 victory.

The contest pitted star pitchers Sadie Parson and Avery Thorkelson against each other, with both aces going the full distance.

In picking up the win, Parson allowed four runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking two. Meanwhile, Thorkelson allowed five runs on six hits while striking out 11 and walking one.

Cedar got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third, when Marley Geddes singled to center, bringing home Kyla Johnson, who’d reached base after being hit by a pitch.

Cedar’s 1-0 lead didn’t last long, however, as the Warriors answered with a run in the top of the fourth, as Chandler Beck singled to drive in Meah Stafford, who’d led off the inning with a walk.

Cedar regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth when freshman Kate Lopez hit a towering solo homer to center field to lead off the inning, putting the Reds back up, 2-1.

Snow Canyon pitcher Avery Thorkelson delivers against Cedar, Cedar City, Utah, April 9, 2024 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Snow Canyon tied the game again 2-2 in the top of the sixth, when Thorkelson grounded out, scoring Allie Landis, who’d led off the inning with a single.

The Warriors took their first lead in the top of the seventh when Maycee Smith hit a single to left, bringing in Tyeci Fuller.

Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Cedar’s first two batters flew out, after which Kyla Johnson singled to right on a full-count pitch, after which Geddes walked.

Kinzie Hawkins then singled to right, driving in Johnson and tying the game 3-3. Cedar’s next batter flew out to shortstop to end the inning.

Snow Canyon started the top of the eighth with a runner on second, per extra-inning tiebreaker rules. After Stafford got hit by a pitch and Thorkleson reached base safely on a bunt single, the bases were loaded with no outs. 

The Warriors’ next batter fouled out to catcher, after which Beck hit a grounder and was safe on an error, with Landis (the tiebreaker runner) scoring on the play to make it 4-3.

The Warriors would end up stranding their remaining runners, however, thanks to an inning-ending double play.

In the top of the eighth, Cedar’s Shaylee Johnson led off with a bunt to advance tiebreaker runner Bulloch to third; both players were safe on the play. 

Thorkelson then struck out the next batter, during which Johnson stole second to put herself in scoring position. That set the stage for Blackner’s game-winner.

The two teams are scheduled for a rematch at 7 p.m. Friday at Snow Canyon.

–written by Jeff Richards

Region 9 softball standings (region, overall) as of Thursday, April 11:

  1. Desert Hills  8-0, 16-2
  2. Cedar  7-2, 13-6
  3. Snow Canyon  5-2, 14-4
  4. Crimson Cliffs  3-6, 9-10
  5. Hurricane  2-5, 12-7
  6. Dixie  1-6, 6-12
  7. Pine View  1-6, 3-13

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric George Goold came to St. George News from southwestern Colorado, where he was a radio news reporter. He has been a journalist for over 20 years in five different states. He graduated with a master's degree in English from Kansas State University and writes nonfiction as well. Goold has been published in Sunstone Magazine and has done multiple public readings about local history. When he has free time, he enjoys chess, movies and dogs.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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