Fowler’s pitching leads Springville softball to big win at Cedar Valley
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- Springville senior pitcher Allie Fowler throws a pitch during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville players celebrate after junior Brooklynn Richardson (8) hit a home run during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville senior pitcher Allie Fowler (center left) high-fives Cedar Valley players after the Region 7 game in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville tags out a Cedar Valley baserunner during the Region 7 game in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley junior Ellie Leatham catches a foul ball as Springville players duck out of the way during the Region 7 game in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville senior pitcher Allie Fowler throws a pitch during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley sophomore Jeslyn Collins flips the ball to first after she made a diving stop during the Region 7 game against Springville in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville junior Brooklynn Richardson swings at a pitch during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville head coach Jill Thackeray congratulates sophomore Allyx Haveron (1) after she hit a home run during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley junior Alexis Jenson attempts to make a diving catch during the Region 7 game against Springville in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville attempts to turn a double play during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville sophomore Morgan Fairbourne attempts to bunt the ball during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley senior Catherina Underwood throws a pitch during the Region 7 game against Springville in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Springville players watch the action from the dugout during the Region 7 game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley players talk things over between innings during the Region 7 game against Springville in Eagle Mountain on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley players run toward the dugout between innings during the Region 7 game against Springville in Eagle Mountain with the Oquirrh Mountains in the distance on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
Ten strikeouts, one run scored, three hits allowed, five walks and one error.
Most high school softball pitchers would probably call that a pretty good day’s work.
That stat line was put up by Springville senior pitcher Allie Fowler, which allowed the Red Devils to get the Region 7 victory, 11-1, at Cedar Valley on Tuesday.
But while overall she was pleased, she didn’t feel like it was a phenomenal performance.
“It was good but I don’t think it was great,” Fowler said. “It’s nice being able to build up the mental toughness to be able to pull myself out of it when I do struggle. I can’t necessarily be mad because strikeouts are strikeouts, but I prefer to have to throw fewer pitches for those strikeouts.”
Red Devil head coach Jill Thackeray credited the Aviator batters for making Fowler work hard.
“They battled a lot and she threw a lot of pitches,” Thackeray said. “I thought she had some really good battles where she came back to get the out.”
While there were probably a number of pitches Fowler would’ve loved to have back, the most frustrating throw was the one to first that sailed on her after she scooped up a routine ground ball.
“All you can do is laugh at yourself,” Fowler said with a wry grin.
That error, which came with two outs, allowed Cedar Valley to get its only run when Aviator senior Avery Ward hit a single to bring in the runner.
But that would be all that the home team could get in the way of offense, thanks in large part to the Springville pitching and defense.
The Red Devil offense, on the other hand, used a couple of big innings to seize control.
After plating a run in the top of the first, Springville took advantage of a couple of walks in the second inning to put two runners on with one out.
Thanks to some timely hitting from sophomore Morgan Fairbourne (RBI single), junior Tyler Haveron (RBI single) and sophomore Allyx Haveron (RBI sacrifice groundout), the visitors scored three more runs to go up 4-0.
“In previous games, we did not execute with runners in scoring position,” Thackeray said. “Today I thought we had some timely hitting where we lacked that in previous games that were close. So I’m proud of that.”
The Red Devils got another big inning in the top of the fifth as Allyx Haveron and junior Brooklynn Richardson started things off with back-to-back solo home runs to almost the same spot over the left field fence.
Springville ended up doubling its lead in the frame as it added two more runs on an RBI single from senior Ashlynn Cox and an RBI sacrifice bunt from sophomore Kalia Sjoberg.
The Red Devils added three more insurance runs in the top of the seventh to get their 11-run tally.
“I think we played really well,” Fowler said. “I feel like we were struggling a little bit a couple of weeks ago, but I feel like today our focus was a little bit different. We were really actually able to put the ball in play and be disciplined, kind of let it run how we want it to run.”
In the other dugout, the Aviators had a very different view of the game. Cedar Valley head coach Sam Vidal said his team just didn’t perform like it wanted to.
“We’ve been playing hard but today things didn’t go our way,” Vidal said. “We are young and are still learning. This is one of those times where we have to overcome adversity. That’s our team motto. We need to get over it, pick ourselves up and battle back. Today we didn’t do that.”
Even though the Aviators lost Tuesday’s game, Vidal said he is proud of the solid start to the 2024 season and is excited to see his squad continue to develop.
“We are still a good team,” Vidal said. “We’ll enjoy spring break and hit the reset button. We’ve done well because we’ve trusted each other. We are building something here and the girls have bought in. They are going to keep fighting.”
Thackery and Fowler know that Springville needs to have the same mentality and continue to improve throughout the season.
“We need to continue to accept our roles and take advantage of opportunities when they are given,” Thackeray said. “It’s also important to find ways to come together and make those pieces fit on the right time and the right day. We need to consistently string things together throughout the lineup so there is no drop off. Consistency is something we need to keep improving.”
Springville (9-4) next hosts Salem Hills on April 9, while Cedar Valley (10-3) plays at Maple Mountain the same afternoon.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
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