ST. GEORGE — Region 9 has its best chance in 24 years to crown a 4A state softball champion after five local teams advanced to bracket play in next week’s 4A state tournament.

Snow Canyon is the only Region 9 team ever to win a state softball championship after the Warriors claimed back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000.

Bear River (2021, 2023) and Ridgeline (2022) out of Region 11 won the past three 4A state softball championships and they did so convincingly.

When this year’s bracket play gets underway next Wednesday at Spanish Fork, five of the remaining eight playoff contenders will be from Region 9.

Desert Hills, Snow Canyon, Cedar, Hurricane and Crimson Cliffs all advanced out of the super regional round in games played Thursday and Friday.

The other three teams that advanced were No. 1 Ridgeline, No. 6 Payson and No. 7 Bear River.

Click here to see updated brackets and follow St. George News sports for coverage of the ongoing 4A state softball tournament.

Desert Hills 12, Mountain Crest 2 | Desert Hills 4, Mountain Crest 1

The second-seeded and unbeaten Region 9 champs were pleased to knock the rust off and get back onto the diamond in their two home wins over the Mustangs.

“They stayed focused,” Thunder coach Heidi Taylor told St. George News after Thursday night’s 10-run win. “They had two weeks off, and that’s a long time to go without ball games.”

Desert Hills came back from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 before breaking open the game with eight runs in the fourth frame.

“They didn’t let the pressure get too much,” Taylor added. “They were a little tight but once they got the bat on the ball and went through the lineup one or two times, they started to figure it out.”

Bailey Lee hit a double, a triple and drove in two runs to lead the Thunder attack.

“I just wanted to stay loose,” Lee said about her approach at the plate. “See the ball, hit the ball.”

Lulu West hit a bases-clearing triple to finish with three RBIs. West also pitched for the Thunder and battled for the win, throwing nine strikeouts.

“She’s an amazing teammate,” Lee said. “Lulu is always positive and she always has our backs.”

In Friday’s win, the Thunder scored once in the first, once in the second and two more times in the third to finish off the Mustangs.

West tossed 13 strikeouts for the winners. She also doubled and hit a solo home run to pace the offense.

Hallee Heath doubled and Riley Greene posted an RBI for the Thunder, who took advantage of three Mountain Crest errors to plate two unearned runs.

Desert Hills earned a playoff matchup against No. 7 seed and defending state champion Bear River at noon next Wednesday at Spanish Fork.

“I think we have a hitting team. We hit one-through-nine in the lineup,” Lee said. “I think we’re ready to go, ready to get some hits.”

Snow Canyon 14, Logan 2 | Snow Canyon 12, Logan 1

The Warriors churned out 13 hits, including four home runs, to defeat the Grizzlies on Thursday.

“I was just looking for my pitch and getting ahead in the count,” senior Chandler Beck told St. George News after crushing two of those homers. She drove in four RBIs for the winners.

Avery Thorkelson went yard and had two RBIs and Alyssa Staheli accounted for the fourth Snow Canyon homer. She also doubled and drove in two Warriors runs.

“I think just working hard and making adjustments,” Beck said to describe why the Warriors offense exploded in the win.

The Warriors kept smashing the ball in Friday’s second game, plating nine runs in the first inning and cruising to victory.

Staheli and Beck each homered again and Allie Landis smacked a third Snow Canyon long ball in the win. Landis, Beck and Thorkelson all had two RBIs apiece.

Thorkelson picked up the pitching win in both contests, striking out a combined 17 Grizzlies in the victories. The hard-throwing righthander is going to Snow College next year.

“Avery is amazing,” said Beck, a fellow senior who played with Thorkelson for years. “I love playing with her and she’s a great teammate.”

No. 3 Snow Canyon advanced to a playoff game against No. 6 Payson next Wednesday at noon at Spanish Fork.

“Our region is tough. Every game we play in our region is a grind,” Snow Canyon coach Markay Thorkelson said, noting that all five remaining Region 9 teams are prepared for state after a grueling regular season.

“Having our region represent so well is awesome,” she added. “I think our region is hoping to take it to them this year.”  

Cedar 9, Timpanogos 7 | Cedar 20, Timpanogos 3

After a back-and-forth battle on Thursday, Cedar walloped the Timberwolves on Friday and advanced to bracket play.

The No. 4 seeded Reds finished second in Region 9 play.

Cedar built up a 7-1 lead after three innings in the first game, but needed to plate two more in the bottom of the sixth after the visitors put up five runs in their top of the sixth.

Cedar had their big bats ready and four different Reds hit home runs in the win–Shaylee Johnson, Marley Geddes, Hunter Blackner and Mya Bishoff. Sadie Parson led the way with three RBIs.

Parson also notched the pitching win, recording seven strikeouts.

The Reds were ready for the second game, pounding out 20 runs and 13 hits in three innings.

This time it was Kaitlin Bulloch setting the pace at the plate for Cedar, hitting a double, a home run and collecting five RBIs in the win.

Johnson homered for the second game in a row and finished with three RBIs. Eight different Reds batters finished with at least one RBI.

Parson pitched the win again for Cedar, throwing four strikeouts.

Cedar has a Region 9 rematch at state, taking on Crimson Cliffs Wednesday at noon at Spanish Fork to open bracket play.

Hurricane 9, Murray 4 | Hurricane 6, Murray 2

The No. 8 Tigers handled the No. 9 Spartans in Hurricane.

Thursday, Hurricane erupted to a 6-0 lead after two innings and then held on to win. The Tigers generated nine hits, including a three-run homer by McKinlee Wright.

Ani Hutchings also drove in three for the winners with her double. Emma Patterson and Ruby Lee also hit doubles in the win.

Hutchings recorded the pitching win, striking out three batters. Austin Terry pitched the win on Friday for Hurricane.

Wright swung a big stick again for the Tigers, belting two home runs and driving in four runs in the win. Terry and Hutchings accounted for one RBI apiece.

Hurricane faces top overall seed Ridgeline in Wednesday’s opening bracket play, at noon in Spanish Fork.

Crimson upsets Stansbury

The upset-minded Mustangs are the highest seeded team remaining in the tournament. No. 12 Crimson beat Pine View to advance out of the regional round.

And then the Mustangs played the “if necessary” third game on Friday to defeat No. 5 Stansbury and advance out of the super regionals.

Crimson shocked the Stallions in Thursday’s first game, winning 7-5. The Mustangs won despite committing five errors.

Cassidy Panson, Abbey Morris and Addilyn Brinkerhoff each had an RBI for the winners.

The home team Stallions bounced back with a 5-4 win Friday to force the rubber game, where the Mustangs eked out an 8-6 triumph in eight innings to advance to bracket play.

Gracee Stucki pitched both wins for Crimson in the series.

Morris was the hero in the decisive third game, batting 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two RBIs. Brinkerhoff, Paige Tuckfield, Emma Leishman and Alexis Bang all accounted for one RBI for the winners.

Crimson earned a Region 9 rematch to open Wednesday’s bracket play at noon at Spanish Fork. The Mustangs will play No. 4 Cedar. The Reds beat Crimson both times they played in the regular season, 1-0 and 3-1.

Photo Gallery

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