Although the first day of the work week is often met with grumbling and frustration, Timpanogos senior Chelsey Brown couldn't complain on this particular Monday.

First, she decided to take a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at Snow College, thus paving the way to continue her athletic career and also get a good education.

To top things off, she came out that afternoon to play softball, went 3-for-3 from the plate and drilled a pair of doubles in the Timberwolves' titanic showdown with Region 4 power Spanish Fork. One of the doubles set up the only runs of the game in the first inning of the 2-0 Timpanogos victory.

"We knew we wanted to get off and get going from the beginning," she said. "This was a great win for us because we hadn't beaten Spanish Fork since my freshman year. We wanted it bad."

Brown got plenty of help from her teammates, particularly senior pitcher Alli Bramwell. The T'Wolf ace mowed down almost every batter she faced, striking out 11 Dons while only giving up one hit and one walk.

"We know if we get runs, we're in good shape," said Timpanogos coach Frank Bramell. "That's not just because of Alli, but because we're a good fielding team as well."

Both teams proved to be sharp in the field, finishing the game without a single error. Spanish Fork ( 7-3 overall, 2-1 Region 4) and the Timberwolves (5-1, 3-0) showed why they're two of the top teams in the state.

The only hiccup came in the bottom of the first inning, when a bloop infield single put a runner on base with Brown coming to the plate. She drilled a rifle shot down the third-base line for a double.

"That was really the play of the game," Bramall said. "It seemed to mentally get us ready for the game."

Two batters later, senior third baseman Tajia Law smashed a single to right-center field, driving in both Timpanogos runners.

That proved to be all Bramwell needed. Spanish Fork put only one runner in scoring position when left fielder Tina Ferguson singled and stole second in the top of the fourth. The Dons appeared to be in position to rally, but the next three batters all went down swinging.

Although the T'Wolves finished with six hits, Don pitcher Ginny Stahle settled down after the rally in the first and kept the home team from adding to its advantage.

While Timpanogos struck the first major blow in the highly competitive Region 4, both sides know league play is far from over.

"They (the Dons) are a very good team," Brown said. "Their offense is one of the best in the Valley, in the state. They've got a lot of big hitters. It was nice that Alli (Bramwell) was able to shut them down."

Both teams continue region play this afternoon. The Timberwolves welcome Pleasant Grove to Orem, while Spanish Fork hosts Mountain View.

Jared Lloyd can be reached at 344-2552 or jlloyd@heraldextra.com.

Spanish Fork 000 000 0 -- 0 1 0

Timpanogos 200 000 x -- 2 6 0

Stahle and Cole. Bramwell and Hecker. WP-Bramwell, LP-Stahle. 2B-Brown 2 (T).

This story appeared in North County on page A6.