5A Baseball: Clutch run through tournament ends for Salem Hills
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- Charlie Cushing of Salem Hills (20) slides into the tag of Wasatch catcher Kelson Stocking, knocking the ball loose and scoring a run in a 5A baseball state tournament game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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- Salem Hills senior Luke DeGraffenried dons a cap and gown before the start of a 5A baseball state tournament game against Wasatch at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The Salem Hills graduation ceremony was at the same time nearby at the UCCU Center on the UVU campus.
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- Cole Zimmerman of Wasatch takes a swing against Salem Hills in a 5A baseball state tournament game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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- Luke DeGraffenried of Salem Hills (left) races toward his teammates after hitting a two-run homer against Wasatch in a 5A baseball state tournament game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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- Wyatt Hickman of Salem Hills (right) gets a hug from a teammate in the dugout after hitting a three-run homer against Wasatch in a 5A baseball state tournament game at UCU Ballpark in Orem on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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- Jeff Bluth of Wasatch (2) slides in safely at home as Luke DeGraffenried of Salem Hills catches the ball during a 5A baseball state tournament game at UCCU Ballpark on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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- Salem Hills senior baseball players congratulate each other in a graduation ceremony before the start of a 5A baseball state tournament game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Wednesday, May 25, 2022. The Salem Hills graduation was at the same time nearby at the UCCU Center on the UVU campus.
Salem Hills survived a 10-inning marathon with Jordan on Tuesday and continued their run of spectacular finishes in elimination games in the 5A baseball state tournament against Wasatch and Olympus.
“We make it interesting,” Salem Hills coach Scott Haney said, and that was the story with his team the whole tournament.
The Skyhawks rallied from six runs down to complete a 14-11 victory against No. 13 Wasatch but couldn’t pull off a similar feat against No. 4 Olympus, pulling to within one run but falling 11-10 to end their run in the tournament.
In the nightcap, Salem Hills trailed 10-4 in the third inning but scored four runs in the top of the sixth to close to 11-10. With the bases loaded and two out, Charlie Cushing put a good ride on the ball but flied out to end the inning.
In their last at-bat, the Skyhawks got a leadoff single from Cam Coburn to put the tying run on base. But Olympus reliever Sam Creer struck out three consecutive batters to end the game.
Wyatt Hickman and Zac Nelson were both 4 for 5 at the plate for Salem Hills (20-12) and Sam Richards was 2 for 3 with 4 RBI.
Olympus (23-8) moves on to the best-of-three championship series on Friday and Saturday against the winner of the Lehi and Bountiful, with that game finishing after the Daily Herald deadline on Wednesday.
No. 12 Salem Hills 14, No. 13 Wasatch 10
The Wasps scored seven runs in the fourth and took a commanding 8-2 lead, but Salem Hills put together one of the more memorable innings you’ll ever see in a state tournament game in the bottom of the sixth.
The Skyhawks scored 12 runs — 11 with two outs — and sent 16 batters to the plate. Hickman drove in four runs with a triple and a 3-run homer while Coburn, Cushing and Nelson all had multiple hits in the inning. Luke DeGraffenried added a two-run blast to send Salem Hills to a 14-8 lead.
“We just tell these guys that their starting pitcher probably won’t go seven,” Haney said. “We know what they have because we’re all in the same boat with pitching and we’ll just keep plugging away. They’re just good kids. They work hard and they play well.”
Wasatch pushed across a couple of runs in the bottom of the seventh but senior Spencer Vance — who hadn’t thrown an inning all season — finally got the last out on a fly ball to center field.
Zaylun Fenn was 3 for 4 and drove in three runs, including a solo home run in the first inning. The Skyhawks had 15 hits, seven for extra bases.
Crew Erickson was 3-for-4 and Jack Bluth and Carter Bucad drove in two runs each for the Wasps (18-15).
Before the game, 11 Salem Hills seniors donned a cap and gown for a graduation ceremony. The Salem Hills High School graduation was taking place at the same time nearby at the UCCU Center on the UVU campus.
No. 10 Bountiful 8, No. 9 Orem 6
For the second time in the 5A state tournament, Bountiful held on to beat Orem, eliminating the Tigers from contention on Wednesday.
On Monday, the Braves topped Orem 8-5.
The Tigers held a 4-1 lead heading into the fifth inning on the strength of a two-run homer from Cohen Strickland. But Bountiful scored seven runs in the fifth — six with two outs — to surge in front 8-4.
Orem struck back in the bottom of the seventh, getting a two-run double from Sawyer Slade to close to 8-6 and got the winning run to the plate with runners at first and second with nobody out. But Bountiful’s defense came through with a force out at third, then a pair of pop ups to end the game.
The Redhawks (23-10) finished with 11 hits, eight of them in their seven-run fifth inning. Bountiful advanced to play Lehi in the championship round late Wednesday.
Orem finished its season with a 22-11 record, but the good news for the Tigers is they have just one senior on the roster and will return virtually all of its production both at the plate and on the mound next season.
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