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Lehi's Cooper Williams, left, celebrates with teammates after driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning in a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi's Dawson Brown, left, talks to coach Eric Madsen during a time out at a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's Jett Walker delivers a pitch against Lehi in a Region 3 baseball game on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's C.J. Mascaro dives back to first base as Tanner Heaps awaits the throw in Region 3 baseball game on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi baseball coach Eric Madsen (in black hoodie) talks to Gavin Yates (2) and Ozzie Williams during a time out at a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi's Ozzie Williams dives into home plate ahead of the throw as American Fork's Cache Poulson defends during a Region 3 baseball game on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork coach Jarod Ingersoll (hands on his knees) watches the action during a Region 3 baseball game against Lehi on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi's Ozzie Williams takes a swing in a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi coach Eric Madsen watches the action during a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi baseball coach Eric Madsen walks out to the mound for a conference during a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's Cooper Jones (8) is greeted at home plate by teammates after hitting a home run against Lehi in a Region 3 baseball game on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Lehi's Landyn Fullmer delivers a pitch in a Region 3 baseball game against American Fork on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Lehi baseball coach Eric Madsen has seen plenty of late-game heroics in his career.

Madsen spent 18 years at Utah Valley University (13 as a head coach) before resigning in 2021 with more than 300 wins. So nothing about his new team’s walk-off 6-5 Region 3 victory against American Fork surprised him.

“I thought we were a little more competitive in those at-bats,” Madsen said. “We had some guys that had struck out every at bat but they found a way to compete, especially with two strikes. That to me, that was the difference. The way we grinded there in the end, that was what changed everything.”

Lehi (6-5 overall, 1-1 Region 3) trailed nearly the entire game, falling behind 2-0 and 5-1 before entering the bottom of the seventh down 5-3. The bottom of the order — Dawson Brown (single), Ozzie Williams (walk) and Gavin Yates (hit by pitch) — did their job and quickly loaded the bases with no outs. With one out, Mays Madsen (the son of the head coach) delivered a clutch RBI double to drive in a pair of runs and tie the game. With runners at second and third, Lehi junior third baseman Copper Williams, who had struck out in all three of his previous at-bats, stepped to the plate.

Williams stroked the second pitch he saw into center field, plating Yates with the game-winning and setting off a mad celebration with his teammates.

“I was nervous, honestly,” Williams said. “Dawson, Ozzie, Brown, they got us going early. I was oh-for-three on the day with three strikeouts and I just told myself that it was a new day, go to the plate and win us a game. I was just hunting fastball. I got that fastball and just drove it the other way.”

It was a nice win for Eric Madsen, who had spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Lehi, He was a logical choice when Jason Ingersoll abruptly resigned after the 2023 campaign.

“I don’t know that I was really looking for it,” Madsen admitted. “I still have a lot of words you can’t print for Jason because what he did for this program and turning it around. It’s not really even me as much as it is the legacy he left. I’m just trying to not mess it up. We have good kids and good assistants so a good foundation has been set.”

Madsen didn’t get a chance to coach any of his sons until Mick Madsen played for him at UVU. At Lehi, he got to coach his son Maddux (now a quarterback at Boise State) and McGuire. Currently, Madsen

has sons Mays and Murph on the Lehi roster.

“Coach Madsen is great,” Williams said. “He was a college coach and teaches us great life lessons, on how to act on and off the field.”

American Fork took a 2-0 lead in the third inning on a two-run homer by Cooper Jones, then plated three more runs in the fourth. C.J. Mascaro knocked in a run with a double and a Lehi throwing error allowed two more runs to score for a 5-1 Caveman lead.

Boston Drakulich smashed a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to bring the Pioneers to within 5-3. Some good relief work kept American Fork from scoring the rest of the way to set up the seventh-inning heroics by the home team.

Jett Walker pitched six innings for the AF (7-5, 1-1) and struck out nine. Jones ended up 3 for 3 with a home run, a double and a single.

The Cavemen won the first meeting of the three-game series on Tuesday, 13-8. The rubber match will be held at American Fork on Friday.

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