Skyridge rallies for Game 1 victory vs. AF in 6A baseball
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- Members of the Skyridge baseball team run for the dugout to celebrate a 7-6 victory against American Fork in Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championships at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- Tyler Ball, who hit a three-run homer to give Skyridge a 7-6 victory against American Fork in Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark, hugs his mother after the game on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- Skyridge senior Tyler Ball delivers a pitch against American Fork during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- American Fork’s C.J. Mascaro (left) makes a catch in the outfield as teammate Isaac Murdoch looks on during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series against Skyridge on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- American Fork’s Jett Walker delivers a pitch during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series with Skyridge at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- American Fork’s Cooper Jones slides safely into third base while Chase Youngberg of Skyridge waits for the ball during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- American Fork’s Ryder Robinson slides into third base during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series against Skyridge at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- Skyridge coach Ryan Roberts (in black) holds a mound conference with pitcher Tyler Ball and his teammates during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series against American Fork at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
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- American Fork’s Daxton Greening (28) slides in safely into home during Game 1 of the 6A baseball state championship series against Skyridge at UVU’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday, May 26, 2023.
The first trip to the state baseball championships for Skyridge was trending to be a short one.
The No. 1 seed Falcons trailed No. 7 American Fork 6-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 1 of their best-of-three series at Utah Valley’s UCCU Ballpark on Friday. Hope was hard to find.
Turns out there were plenty of Falcons willing to put on a cape and play superhero.
Skyridge erupted for six runs, including a two-run home run by Mason Thompson and a three-run bomb by Tyler Ball, and pulled off a stunning 7-6 victory.
What happened?
“A lot of things,” Ball said. “Honestly, it was all the guys coming together.”
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Falcons coach Ryan Roberts added. “In the fall we started talking to these guys about ‘always in the fight.’ They want to win, they grind and they work hard.”
Skyridge was playing without star shortstop Ike Pickle, who was injured in Thursday night’s win against Mountain Ridge and won’t play the rest of the tournament. There seemed to be no life in the Falcons game other than one run in the bottom of the first when Crew Schenk came home in a wild pitch.
In the other dugout, American Fork got a two-run double in the top of the first from Dax Watts and led 3-0. Three more runs came in the fifth on four singles and Jett Walker was cruising along on the mound with a 6-1 lead.
Kamden Stafford got things started for Skyridge in the sixth with a one-out single, a hit Roberts called, “The play of the game.” Mason Thompson got into a Walker offering and sent the ball over the left-field wall for two runs and trimmed the deficit to 6-3.
Chase Youngberg reached safely on an infield single and lead-off hitter Dalton Young popped up to first for the second out. Schenk singled and Isaac Johansen delivered an RBI single to bring the Falcons to within 6-4, which brought Ball hitless in his last two games — to the plate with two outs and two on.
“I’ve been ice cold as a hitter this whole tournament and I told myself, ‘Hey, you’re due, right here,'” Ball said. “I was ready to drive the ball and that first one, I got it and a I drove it.”
Ball’s blast sailed over the wall in left, bringing home three runs to give Skyridge a one-run lead.
Tyler Ball is just the dude, he’s special,” Roberts said. “He’s going to play professional baseball. BYU is lucky to get him but he’s just a tremendous leader. He’s been clutch like that the entire year. Every guy on the team loves him. I wish he’d marry my daughter.”
Ball has been particularly clutch against American Fork this year with four home runs, two doubles and eight RBI in four games.
“I don’t know what it is,” Ball said. “I’ve really enjoyed playing against them. It’s just the moment, I guess.”
Johansen, who has been nails as a closer for the Falcons in the tournament, got the call in the top of the seventh to close things out.
“I wasn’t planning on throwing Isaac today,” Roberts said. “He threw yesterday and said he was a little bit tight and a little bit hanging. I get concerned about that. He’s got a future where he’s going to play college baseball. When we got the lead I looked at him and I said, ‘You OK?’ and he said, ‘Put me in, I’m ready to go.’ He pounded the strike zone with three pitches. That’s what he does well.”
Cooper Jones reached first on an error, getting the tying run on base with two outs. But Johansen struck out Walker to end the game and secure the victory.
“Maybe we were a little timid or had some nerves going in,” Ball said. “In the sixth inning, everyone just all came together. Kamden had that base hit and then he was doing whatever he was doing at first base messing with their timing, then Mason hit that home run and everything just looked up from there.”
The two teams will meet again on Saturday at 11 a.m. at UCCU Ballpark, with Game 3 to follow if American Fork can force a rubber match.
“That’s one of the classic wins for us,” Roberts said. “Seems like every game in the tournament has been like this. There’s a lot of love going in with this team right now, a lot of happiness, a lot of fun. We’ve got a long way to go. We all know what AF has done the past 10 years and Jarod (AF coach Jarod Ingersoll) is a premier coach in the West Coast. He’ll get those guys fired up and ready to play. I’m excited about our chances tomorrow.”
5A Baseball Tournament
No. 2 Timpanogos 5, No. 4 Lehi 2
Brighton Tate pitched a complete game for the Timberwolves, holding Lehi’s offense in check to help his team take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Tate scattered seven hits, allowing just one run in the first inning and a solo home run to Jackson Brousseau in the sixth. Luke Livingston drove in two runs with a triple and Billy Bird had a 2-RBI double to paced Timpanogos to the win.
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Utah Valley’s UCCU Ballpark.
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