Skyridge baseball edges Pleasant Grove in 6A playoff thriller
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- Skyridge players and coaches celebrate after winning the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- A Skyridge baserunner is tagged out at home by Pleasant Grove senior pitcher Brayden Marx during the 6A playoff game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Skyridge centerfielder Crew Schenk is congratulated by a teammate after hitting the walk-off since to win the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Skyridge players congratulate pitcher Tyler Ball after he closed out an inning with a strikeout during the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove freshman Mason Henry congratulates senior pitcher Brayden Marx after he closed out an inning with a strikeout during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove senior first baseman Tyler Gardner throws the ball to first during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- A Pleasant Grove baserunner dives back to first during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Skyridge pitcher Tyler Ball throws a pitch during the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Skyridge shortstop Ike Pickle dives but can’t come up with a hard ground ball during the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove and Skyridge players stand for the national anthem before the 6A playoff game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- A Pleasant Grove batter swings at a pitch during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove senior centerfielder Tanner Christiansen slides safely into second during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove senior pitcher Brayden Marx throws a pitch during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- A Skyridge batter swings at a pitch during the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove players watch the action during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Skyridge players watch the action during the 6A playoff game against Pleasant Grove at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove senior shortstop Ryker Schow throws the ball to first during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
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- Pleasant Grove senior first baseman Tyler Gardner fields a ground ball during the 6A playoff game against Skyridge at UCCU Ballpark in Orem on Monday, May 22, 2023.
What is the recipe to turn a high school playoff baseball game into a true classic?
Here are of few of the necessary ingredients:
- Phenomenal pitching
- Solid defense
- Big plays in key moments
- Extra innings
- A dramatic walk-off conclusion
Monday’s first 6A bracket-play game at UCCU Ballpark in Orem between top-seeded Skyridge and No. 8-seed Pleasant Grove checked all those boxes and more, providing plenty of heart-stopping thrills for both teams.
It took eight innings before someone finally got a run across the plate with the Falcons getting the big RBI hit from centerfielder Crew Schenk to edge the Vikings, 1-0.
“To me, that’s what playoff baseball is all about,” Skyridge head coach Ryan Roberts said. “That’s one of the better baseball games I’ve been a part of in a long, long time. It was really fun to be a part of.”
Both teams put elite pitchers on the mound and Falcon senior Tyler Ball and Pleasant Grove senior Brayden Marx lived up to the hype, consistently getting outs and coming up with key plays when they needed to.
Ball gave up six hits in six innings while striking out 12, but Marx was even better. He only allowed three hits in his 6 2/3 innings while striking out 13.
“Marx is one of the top pitchers in the state and Tyler is one of the top pitchers in the state,” Roberts said. “They traded blows and punches back and forth the whole game. Both teams defended and made a couple of clutch key plays.”
Between the two, they set the stage for a dramatic finish as neither team could break through.
Both teams had opportunities to plate a run earlier in the regulation seven innings that might have been the difference.
The Vikings were the most dangerous in the top of the sixth, when a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with just one out.
But a suicide squeeze bunt attempt resulted in an out at home plate, then Ball got the next Pleasant Grove batter to ground out to short to end the threat.
Skyridge positioned itself to win in the bottom of the seventh as a walk and a single put a runner just 90 feet from the victory with no outs.
But Marx got a strikeout, then made the biggest play of the day after a wild pitch sent the ball ricocheting off the backstop.
The Viking senior pitcher was able to get to the plate, catch the relay from junior catcher Deagen Thayne, then block the Falcon runner long enough to tag him out and prevent the winning run from scoring.
Pleasant Grove then turned to left-handed junior reliever Hudson Banks, who closed out the frame with a strikeout and send the game into extra innings.
Failure to score could’ve been deflating for Skyridge but Roberts said his guys handled it like pros.
“A sign of a good team is being able to get the energy back to us,” Roberts said. “The message at that point was to go out, get strike one and get the first guy out. It changes the whole feeling if you can get the first guy out.”
The Vikings did get a baserunner in scoring position in the top of the eighth when senior Hayden Zamboni hit a double, but Falcon reliever Isaac Johanson finished with a pair of strikeouts to keep Pleasant Grove scoreless.
“We had guys ready to go swing it and we had pitchers who were going to pound the zone and challenge them,” Schenk said.
The biggest break of the game went Skyridge’s way to start the bottom of the eighth inning when left fielder Dalton Young lifted a high fly ball to left field. It appeared that the Viking fielder lost it in the sun and it dropped near the warning track, allowing Young to get to second base.
“It’s sad that that good of a game came down to a bloop hit that got lost in the sun,” Pleasant Grove head coach Darin Henry said. “But that’s baseball.”
The Falcons still had to get the runner home, which Schenk took care of when he stepped into the batter’s box.
“I was just trying to stay back,” Schenk said. “Coach Roberts, who is the best hitting coach in the nation, told me to stay back and just see a ball well. I just needed to put it in outfield grass. I was just trying to fight and scratch and get on base.”
He hit a single to right field and as he rounded first, he saw Young slide safely into home to end the game.
“It’s something you definitely dream of as a kid,” Schenk said with a grin. “You definitely remember those. I’m just glad and blessed and thank God that I got to have the opportunity to be in that situation.”
Roberts said that seeing Schenk come up with that big hit had even greater meaning because he knew the work that had been put in to be ready for such a moment.
“I’m proud of him because that’s something he’s really worked hard on this year,” Roberts said. “At the start of the year, he wasn’t great at being able to hit a left hander with the ball sinking away from him. He stayed on that ball and hit the line drive to right field, which was perfect execution right there in a big moment.”
Schenk said there was an extra level of satisfaction because he was on a Falcon team that lost to Pleasant Grove on a walk-off in the playoffs a couple of years ago.
“This win means everything,” Schenk said. “PG has had our number the last couple of years, so it was good to finally be on the winning side.”
The Vikings now drop into the elimination round but Henry is confident his team will be prepared to fight back.
“We will bounce back and go right back at it tomorrow,” Henry said. “We’ve been here before. We’ll be ready.”
Pleasant Grove will play No. 13-seed Bingham in an elimination game on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., while Skyridge will look to stay unbeaten when it faces No. 5-seed Mountain Ridge at 7 p.m.
All of the 6A games will take place at UCCU Ballpark in Orem.
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