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Big sixth inning pushes American Fork baseball past Westlake in 6A tournament

By Jared Lloyd - | May 22, 2023
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American Fork sophomore Cooper Jones tries to turn a double play during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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American Fork senior right fielder Davin Pace catches a foul ball during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake sophomore Tegan Jenkins slides safely into home to score a run during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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An American Fork baserunner dives back to first during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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A Westlake batter hits the ball during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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American Fork junior pitcher Jett Walker throws a pitch during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake senior left fielder Sage Strayer catches a fly ball during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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American Fork right fielder Davin Pace gets caught stealing during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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An American Fork batter hits the ball during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake sophomore shortstop Luke Smith throws the ball to first during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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A Westlake baserunner dives back to first during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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American Fork players watch the action during the 6A playoff game against Westlake at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake senior third baseman Luke Culley throws the ball to first during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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A Westlake batter bunts the ball during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake senior pitcher Mason Hartle throws a pitch during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake players cheer on their team during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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Westlake sophomore second baseman Tegan Jenkins attempts to turn a double play during the 6A playoff game against American Fork at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.

For the first five innings of Monday’s 6A bracket-play game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem, the No. 7-seeded American Fork baseball team found itself locked in a dogfight with No. 15-seed Westlake.

The Cavemen fell behind early but surged ahead to take a slim 3-1 lead into the sixth inning.

That was when the Thunder put themselves in great position to re-take the lead as they loaded the bases with no outs.

Would this be the moment where the underdogs took control?

Not against this American Fork team.

The Cavemen limited the damage, then came up with a number of key hits in the bottom of the frame to earn the 9-3 victory.

“Guys had good at-bats but then we started having more quality at-bats, putting balls in play,” American Fork head coach Jarod Ingersoll said. “Our defense made enough plays. We used a lot of players. We’re out of ink for our lineup card. It’s been like that for awhile but I was super-proud of how everyone stepped up in their different roles.”

He credited the Caveman defense for not letting Westlake take control when it had the chance.

“That is a credit to the defense and to the pitchers for their ability to throw strikes and compete,” Ingersoll said. “Our defense locked them up. They got a couple of runs but it could’ve been a lot more than that. Guys did a good job buckling down and getting serious.”

The Thunder did score two runs, one off an RBI walk and the other off a fielder’s choice. But American Fork caught a runner attempting to steal second and then got out of the inning with a strikeout.

After the Caveman defense stood tall, it was the offense’s turn.

American Fork was down to its last out of the inning after a fly out, a couple of walks and a fielder’s choice, but then the Cavemen bats got going.

Senior Davin Pace hit an RBI single from the No. 9 slot which turned into two runs after an errant throw home, followed by another RBI single from sophomore CJ Mascaro.

The Thunder chose to walk senior second baseman Ryder Robinson but junior first baseman Dax Watts came up with a bases-clearing double to close out the scoring.

“Pace is a good hitter and he put the ball in play with two strikes,” Ingersoll said. “It wasn’t flashy but it got the job done and got us to the top of the order. Watts had struggled a little bit but he’s been doing a really good job and he came through.”

American Fork then closed out the win by getting Westlake to go three-up, three-down in the top of the seventh.

It was a tough ending for the Thunder, who once again looked to have a chance to keep their improbable winning streak going.

Westlake went 1-14 in Region 4, including three losses to American Fork by a combined score of 34-20.

In 16 regular season games against 6A competition this spring, the Thunder only held an opponent under five runs once (a 2-1 St. George tournament win over Herriman in early March).

But Westlake achieved that feat in four straight games to win both their region against No. 18-seed Roy and their super-regional against No. 2-seed Cyprus. The Thunder put the pressure on American Fork before eventually losing.

“They’ve done a good job,” Ingersoll said. “They have some seniors over their who fight. Even in our regular season games, they were tough. I think playing in the region we are in prepared them for this, for sure.”

Like many coaches, Ingersoll feels that starting the final week of the season with a victory is a huge boost for his team.

“It’s always big to get the first one on the big field,” Ingersoll said. “But we have to keep trying to find ways to get better every day. We’re excited to be in the winner’s bracket and have the chance to play the winner of the next game.”

The Cavemen will face either No. 6-seed Riverton or No. 14-seed Syracuse (which played the late game on Monday night) in the next round on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., while Westlake will play whichever team loses in an elimination game at 11 a.m.

All of the 6A state baseball games will take place at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.

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