5A Softball: Salem Hills, Box Elder going to third game to decide title
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- Swazie Wilson of Salem Hills (right) leans away from a pitch as Box Elder catcher Maclee Willard snags the ball in the 5A softball state championships at BYU’s Gail Miller Field on Friday, May 22, 2026.
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- Salem Hills junior Leila Stevenson homered, doubled and drove in four runs as the No. 1 seed Skyhawks defeated Box Elder 9-2 in Game 1 of the 5A softball championship series at Gail Miller Field on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
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- Shay Loveridge of Salem Hills salutes the crowd after scoring a run against Box Elder in Game 1 of the 5A softball championship series at Gail Miller Field on Thursday, May 21, 2026.
In Game 2 of the 5A softball championship series, top seed Salem Hills had a great chance in the bottom of the seventh inning to come home with the gold trophy.
Instead, Box Elder’s Kenadie Blackmer got two big outs with two runners in scoring position to secure a 2-1 win for the Bees, forcing a third and deciding game on Friday afternoon after the Daily Herald’s print deadline.
Tied at 1-1, No. 2 Box Elder took a 2-1 lead in the top of third when Kailie Hall smacked a ball over the left-field fence for a solo home run. From there, the Bees relied on Blackmer to keep the dangerous Skyhawks at bay. After Swazie Wilson’s single in the second inning, Blackmer didn’t allow another hit the rest of the way. She finished with 10 strikeouts and allowed just two hits while walking five and hitting a batter as well.
The walks got Blackmer in trouble in the bottom of the seventh, issuing free passes to Adalyn Mattinson and Wilson. Jo Norman’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third with one out. With both fan bases on their feet at Gail Miller Field, Blackmer responded by striking out Shay Loveridge and getting a fly ball to left from Audree Stokes to end the game.
It only the second loss of the season for Salem Hills (30-2).
Salem Hills 9, Box Elder 2
Leila Stevenson’s father made her get up Thursday morning and spend an hour in the batting cage.
It was a good choice for the Salem Hills shortstop that paid off big time in Game 1 of the 5A Championship Series.
Stevenson went 3 for 4, scored three runs, belted a home run and a double and drove in four runs as the top-seeded Skyhawks blew out No. 2 Box Elder 9-2 at BYU’s Gail Miller Field on Thursday.
“It was just sort of surreal,” Stevenson said. “I was honestly going crazy the entire time. It was amazing. The only reason I hit it was probably because my dad convinced me to go to the batting cage this morning. I was tired, but I love him so much. I knew Kenadie is such an awesome pitcher and I knew I had to be ready.”
Box Elder got on the board first and led 1-0 after two innings. In the top of the third Salem Hills took a 2-1 lead, scoring on a bases loaded walk to Stevenson and an RBI single by Aliyah Elmer. Blackmer struck out two Skyhawks hitters to end the threat.
In the top of the fifth, Emmery Wilson led off with a triple and Stevenson raked a Blackmer pitch over the left-field wall — her 15th home run of the season — for a 4-1 Salem Hills advantage.
“To me, Laila is the most intimidating physical presence in our lineup,” Skyhawks head coach Kalab Stokes said. “She looks like she’s somebody that could just tear the cover off the ball every single time she hits it. She knows her zone really, really well. It’s hard to get her to chase pitches.”
The Skyhawks blew the game open with a five-run sixth with RBI singles from Audree Stokes, Samaya Haveron and Stevenson, followed by a two-run double from freshman Adalyn Mattinson.
Jocile Norman earned the win to push her record to 24-1 this season, holding the Bees to just five hits. Norman struck out only one but was backed by a solid defense that made all the right plays.
