Make it work: Spanish Fork softball comes up with all the big plays in win at Springville
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- Spanish Fork senior Alyce Archuleta hits a home run during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Alyce Archuleta gets congratulated by head coach Natalie Jarvis after Archuleta hit a home run during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork seniors Alyce Archuleta (right) and Lucy Evans celebrate after Archuleta hit a home run during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville senior Allie Fowler circles the bases after hitting a home run during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork freshman Lyndi O’Neal leaps for a fly ball during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville XXXX hits the ball during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Alyce Archuleta runs the bases during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Lucy Evans throws a pitch during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville senior Allie Fowler throws a pitch during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Emrie Pintar watches a pitch during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville players celebrate with senior Allie Fowler (22) after she hit a home run during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork players cheer on their team from the dugout during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Olivia Carroll steps on home plate as her teammates cheer after she hit a home run during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Lucy Evans throws a pitch during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville senior Allie Fowler throws a pitch during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville head coach Jull Thackeray encourages her team during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Olivia Carroll hits a home run during the Region 8 game at Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville sophomore Allyx Haveron watches a pitch during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
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- Springville senior Allie Fowler tries to bunt the ball during the Region 8 game against Spanish Fork in Springville on Thursday, April 25, 2024.
Spanish Fork head softball coach Natalie Jarvis had a big grin on her face as Don senior Alyce Archuleta rounded third base and headed for home during Thursday’s Region 7 showdown at Springville.
While most coaches would be smiling after seeing a senior hammer a game-changing two-run home run, but Jarvis’s was a little bigger because she knew something most didn’t:
The big blast should never have happened at all.
It was the top of the fourth inning and the visitors trailed the Red Devils, 2-1. The first Spanish Fork batter had gotten to first on an error, so the Dons were looking to tie things up.
“I gave Alyce the bunt sign,” Jarvis said, planning on playing some small ball to advance the runner to scoring position.
Archuleta looked over but misread the sign.
“It’s similar to our hit-and-run sign so I was thinking, OK, I’m going to hit and run,” Archuleta said. “I got a perfect ball for me inside. Then I hit the home run, so it worked out anyway.”
Jarvis smiled as she recalled Archuleta apologizing for the mixup after the play.
“I was like, ‘you don’t apologize for that ever!'” Jarvis said with a laugh.
Archuleta’s home run put Spanish Fork in front and the Dons started playing lights out the rest of the way, rolling to the 15-4 win.
“Everything just went our way,” Jarvis said. “Everything we’ve been working on worked, like squeezes. They made great defensive plays. They just played really well.”
Archuleta said said the team knew it was an important game and came in focused.
“It felt awesome,” Archuleta said. “I always get so hyped for my teammates when they make good plays like they did.”
The Dons hadn’t really gotten rolling until Archuleta got her homer but that seemed to open the floodgates for the talented Spanish Fork offense.
“Their pitcher (Allie Fowler) pitched really well and we were having a tough time getting our timing with her,” Jarvis said. “We were really late on the ball. But it was like popping open a can of Pringles. Once Alyce popped it open, everyone started going.”
The Dons ended up hitting two more solo home runs in the fourth inning, one from senior Olivia Carroll and one from senior Emrie Pintar, as Spanish Fork built a 7-2 lead.
Springville tried to dig out of the hole as Fowler crushed a two-run homer of her own in the bottom of the fourth, but that was as close as the Red Devils would get.
Springville head coach Jill Thackeray felt like there were some plays that got away from the Red Devils that helped Spanish Fork get going, things they can clean up.
“You’ve got to go for it, thinking you can get outs,” Thackeray said. “But sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way — or it bounces the other way and allows a bunch of runs to score.”
While the outcome wasn’t what Springville wanted or expected, Thackeray said now it becomes an opportunity to refocus.
“We’ve been riding high since the last time we played them (Spanish Fork),” Thackeray said. “We had a great win over Riverton where everything clicked. Today everything did not click for us. We had nine hits compared to their 13, so it wasn’t like we didn’t do anything. But our hits weren’t at the right times.”
On the other side of the field, the Dons feel like they have coalesced into the team they knew they were capable of being.
“It’s been really rewarding,” Archuleta said. “Our coaches said something during our St. George trip about how this isn’t the same team that won the previous championships. We had to grow and become our own team. It’s just really been awesome to see because we’re all kind of coming together.”
Spanish Fork (20-2) next plays at Bear River on April 29, while Springville (20-5) hosts Cedar Valley on April 30.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.
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High School
Make it work: Spanish Fork softball comes up with all the big plays in win at Springville
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