Enterprise defeats Duchesne twice to capture 2A softball championship

Written by Jeff Richards
May 14, 2023
Pitcher Blakelee Christiansen of Enterprise pitchers against Duchesne in the state 2A softball championship game, Spanish Fork, Utah, May 13, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Rob Randall, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The Enterprise Wolves softball team went undefeated through the 2A state playoffs, beating defending state champion Duchesne in back-to-back games Friday and Saturday to claim the state title.

Enterprise softball players and coaches celebrate with trophy after defeating Duchesne in state 2A championship game, Spanish Fork, Utah, May 13, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Jessie Pratt, St. George News

Enterprise, which had also taken state in both 2019 and 2021, defeated Duchesne in the semifinals in 2022 only to see the Eagles come back the next day and beat the Wolves twice, by a single run both times (2-1 and 5-4) to claim last year’s state championship.

“We knew we probably would be facing them when it came down to it,” Enterprise coach Katye Jones said of rival Duchesne. “And that they would want to do the same thing that happened last year.”

The Wolves, who had entered this year’s playoffs as the No. 1 seed, first defeated Kanab 15-0 in a first-round game at Enterprise on May 6. Then, on Thursday, Enterprise opened the three-day state tournament at the Spanish Fork Softball Complex with an 11-3 win over Millard. That was followed by an 11-4 win over Parowan on Friday, setting the stage for the Wolves’ semifinal rematch with Duchesne later that same evening.

“Going in as the No. 1 seed was huge, so that we could be the home team and be able to have the last at-bats,” Jones noted. “Because last year we weren’t and that hurt us.”

Enterprise players celebrate during win over Duchesne in state 2A softball championship game, Spanish Fork, Utah, May 13, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Rob Randall, St. George News

Enterprise started off slowly against the Eagles on Friday, trailing 4-0 in the middle of the fifth inning before second baseman Kylah Humphries got the Wolves on the board with a two-run homer to right field. The Wolves added another run on a fielder’s choice play in the sixth to pull within one run. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, the Wolves tied the game 4-4 on a fielding error, after which Blakelee Christiansen knocked in the game-winning run with a bases-loaded single with two out.

In Saturday’s championship game against Duchesne, the Wolves put together a five-run rally in the second inning to take an early 6-0 lead en route to an eventual 7-3 victory. The key second-inning rally started with a sacrifice fly by Kylah Humphries that drove in Brooke Humphries, and ended with a two-run homer by Addi Nelson.

Christiansen, a junior, was the Wolves’ winning pitcher, not just for both of those games but for the team’s other playoff games as well, going the full distance every contest.

Enterprise vs. Duchesne, state 2A softball championship game, Spanish Fork, Utah, May 13, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Rob Randall, St. George News

“She puts in a ton of work, and all the extra hours after practice,” Jones said of Christiansen, while also giving credit to senior catcher Hailey Drake.

“Blakelee and Hailey have been playing together for years and years,” Jones said. “They get each other. Hailey knows exactly what Blakelee needs to throw. And when Hailey calls them, Blakelee knows, ‘I trust my catcher.'”

“She knows, ‘I don’t have to strike everybody out,'” Jones added. “I don’t have to throw it past them. If I hit my spots, they’re gonna hit it and my defense is gonna back me up. Which is awesome.”

“We just knew if we kept hitting the ball and kept chipping away little by little, that good things would happen,” Jones said.

In Friday’s game against Duchesne, Christiansen allowed four runs on six hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. In Saturday’s game, she allowed three runs on seven hits, with no walks and one strikeout. Over those two games, she threw a total of 176 pitches, 122 of which were strikes (69.3%), according to GameChanger stats.

“One thing we really focused on a lot this year is being mentally tough,” Jones said.  “I think that was the difference between this year and last year. Last year, we weren’t mentally tough. When we got down, we didn’t know how to rebound. But this year, when we got down, we knew what to do. We knew how to rebound. Even though we were down four runs, we knew we could still do it.”

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

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons and one granddaughter. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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