ST. GEORGE — The baseball teams from Crimson Cliffs and Snow Canyon played nearly identical games in a Region 10 series split this week.

Hayden Smith drove home the winning run in a 1-0 walk-off Warriors win Thursday night and Snow Canyon handed the Mustangs their first region loss this season.

“Little luck on our side tonight, no doubt,” Snow Canyon head coach Reed Secrist told St. George News after the wild walk-off in front of the Warriors home fans.

“Two awesome games, for anyone who enjoys baseball,” Secrist said. “They’re who they are. State champions —they’re good. We just like to compete with them.

“We were in the game at the end, happy to get the bases loaded and get Hayden back up to the top of the order,” he added. “It worked out good, he squared up on that ball and good thing it took a bad hop.”

Coden Herman stood tall on the Warriors pitcher’s mound. The senior right-hander went the distance, scattering five hits, allowing no runs, walking one and striking out eight Mustangs for the win.

Herman pumped his fist and shouted as he walked to the dugout after retiring the Crimson side in the seventh.

“To hold a state championship team like that to zero runs through seven innings is just crazy,” Herman told St. George News. “We’ve got a good defense, I mean, I trust my defense so I go up really confident in all my pitches that I throw because I know we can make plays.”

It was a pitcher’s duel as Crimson ace Beau Sampson battled Herman pitch for pitch. The Mustangs left-hander took the tough loss after 6.1 innings of work. The winning run was earned and he gave up three hits, walked two and struck out seven.

“Crimson’s a good team,” Herman said. “It’s always going to be a pitching battle against them.”

The result of the game evened both teams’ Region 10 record at 5-1.  

Following are recaps of this week’s Region 10 baseball games, starting with Thursday night’s other two contests.

Dixie 8, Pine View 1

The Flyers broke open a tight ballgame at Pine View with six runs in the sixth inning.

Shortstop Boston Vest led Dixie with two doubles and three RBI in the win. Max Orton drove in two for the winners and Blake Watson, Trace Franco and Cooper Bartholomew all hit for one RBI apiece.

Nash Schroeder and Brooks Fiklin each hit doubles for Pine View and Pedro Duarte recorded an RBI in the defeat.

Logan Leavitt picked up the pitching win for Dixie, striking out seven Panthers in the process. Schroeder took the loss on the hill for Pine View, posting five K’s. 

Dixie’s schedule has been full of non-region games and the Flyers have only played four local contests. In those four Region 10 wins — two against Pine View, two against Cedar — Dixie outscored its opponents by a combined count of 41-4.

Desert Hills 9, Cedar 0

The Thunder struck for 14 hits in the big win, playing at Desert Hills as visiting Cedar’s ballfield remained buried in snow. Cole DeCastro and Jace Fillmore each collected two hits, two RBI and scored once for the Thunder. Senior Kyler Terry singled and drove in a run for Desert Hills.

Krew Giles, Colter Bunnell and Jacob Boyer accounted for Cedar’s three hits in the game.

Tytan Tate picked up the win on the mound for Desert Hills. The senior threw the last five complete innings for the Thunder, giving up one hit and no runs while walking five and striking out 11 Reds.

Games Tuesday April 4

Crimson Cliffs 1, Snow Canyon 0

Petey Soto hit an RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning to decide the first of two Region 10 pitcher’s duals between the crosstown rivals.

Jaiven Ross started and went five innings, Aaron Morris relieved for two frames and the Crimson hurlers combined to hold Snow Canyon’s potent offense to no runs and no hits on a frigid night in Washington Fields.

Snow Canyon’s Kyson Goates was equal to the task, throwing five innings, yielding only three hits and allowing the one run late in the game. He walked two and struck out six Mustangs batters in the hard-luck defeat.

Talan Kelly finished the game on the hill for Snow Canyon, walking one and striking out two in the seventh inning.

Desert Hills 12, Cedar 2

The second game of the day that ended early after the 10-run rule saw the Thunder plate eight runs in the fourth and four more in the sixth inning.

Once again, Cedar was the home team in St. George because the Reds field was unplayable beneath inches of snow in Cedar City.

Desert Hills left-hander Landon Musgrave controlled the game from the mound, striking out 12 Reds batters in his five innings of work. The runs against him were unearned and he yielded just two hits in the victory. Kyler Terry worked the sixth for the Thunder and struck out two.

Haigen Reed and Jace Fillmore led the attack for Desert Hills with three hits apiece. Kyler Terry and Crew Christensen each had two hits for the winners.

Krew Giles had Cedar’s two hits in the setback.

Dixie 12, Pine View 2

Pitcher Cayson Bell cruised to the win at home, striking out five Pine View batters while walking four. The two runs against him were unearned and he surrendered three hits in five innings of work.

Dixie’s bats pounded out 13 hits in the win, including three apiece for Trace Franco and Max Orton. Logan Leavitt and Cooper Bartholomew each had two knocks for the Flyers.

Andrew Shakespeare collected two Pine View hits while Pedro Duarte had the third hit for the Panthers.

Region 10 baseball standings (region, overall) as of April 8

1. Dixie 4-0, 13-3
2. Snow Canyon 5-1, 15-3
3. Crimson Cliffs 5-1, 13-3
4. Desert Hills 4-2, 9-7
5. Pine View 0-4, 3-9-2
6. Hurricane 0-4, 4-6
7. Cedar 0-6, 1-15

Games Tuesday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Hurricane at Dixie; Crimson Cliffs at Pine View; Cedar at Snow Canyon

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.