Prep softball: Four-run lead unravels for Box Elder against top seed Spanish Fork
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- Box Elder freshman Kennadie Blackmer fires a pitch during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder senior Justy Pritchard connects during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder freshman Kailee Hall (3) slides into third during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- The Box Elder softball team gets loud for an at-bat during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder senior Paige Baker sends back a hit during a 5A state softball matchup with Spanish Fork on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex in Taylorsville.
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- Box Elder senior Stevie Checketts stretches before stepping into the batter’s box during a 5A state softball matchup with Spanish Fork on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex in Taylorsville.
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- Spanish Fork senior Emrie Pintar snags a ground ball during a 5A state softball matchup with Box Elder on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex in Taylorsville.
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- Box Elder senior Kellie Malan winds up a pitch during a 5A state softball matchup with Spanish Fork on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Spanish Fork senior Lucy Evans, right, celebrates a clean side during a 5A state softball matchup with Box Elder on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex in Taylorsville.
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- Taylorsville sophomore Aleya Wegner fires off a pitch during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder junior Brooke Richards connects during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder senior Justy Pritchard celebrates after sending her first at-bat over the fence for a three-run home run during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder freshman Kennadie Blackmer (15) celebrates with catcher Brooke Richards (00) after closing the first side during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
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- Box Elder freshman Kennadie Blackmer is jubilant after closing the first side during a 5A state softball contest against Taylorsville on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
TAYLORSVILLE – Box Elder softball’s path to a 5A state title became far narrower after splitting Tuesday’s contests at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
The No. 4 Bees (25-3) slipped past No. 5 Taylorsville 4-3 in the morning behind a full day’s work from freshman Kennadie Blackmer (7.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 7 K) in the circle.
In the afternoon, senior starter Kellie Malan (6.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 8 K) and Box Elder squandered a four-run lead in the seventh to drop into an elimination game against No. 8 West Jordan (15-9) on Wednesday.
Box Elder coach Brian Merrill knows there’ll be a sour taste in his group’s mouths until the sun rises on Wednesday’s slate of games. The Bees now must defeat West Jordan before getting another crack at the Dons (27-2) in the double-elimination semifinal.
“They’re very much aware of what’s going on,” Merrill said. “One hundred percent, we just messed up, made errors and gave them a bunch of runs … We brought in girls we thought could do the job and we just couldn’t do it.”
Three hits, two walks and a costly error were enough to fill the bags and tie Spanish Fork at 9-9 with no outs on the board, as Box Elder looked to sophomore Lucy Braegger and Blackmer in hopes of earning the save — but neither arm was the answer.
Records and stats aside, Merrill considers Spanish Fork’s club the state’s absolute bar for softball.
“We’ve got to go toe-to-toe with them and beat them,” Merrill said. “We can’t let them have an opportunity to beat us (again).”
First pitch against West Jordan is set for 10:30 a.m. at Valley Regional Softball Complex.
BOX ELDER 4, TAYLORSVILLE 3
Bees senior Justy Pritchard opened the scoring in the morning game with a three-run shot to center — her sixth home run of the season — driving home two walks to place Taylorsville starter Aleya Wegner in an early slump.
Three hits squashed Blackmer’s no-hitter in the third as Taylorsville junior Megan Sterzer logged two RBI on a single to shallow left. Walking her next batter, Blackmer shook off the two earned runs and picked up her sixth strikeout to save the Box Elder lead.
Joining the Bee’s RBI column, junior utility Alexis Hales registered her second home run of the year, mailing a solo shot to left in the bottom of the sixth. Even with the one-run bump, Box Elder wasn’t out of the woods yet.
“(Hales) had a good day,” Merrill said. “She hit well all day long … Hit a hard ball hard and see where it goes.”
Blackmer gave up back-to-back hits in the top of the seventh as the Warriors punched in a run on Sterzer’s RBI double with two outs still on the board. Any hope of a late rally fell apart with a pop-out caught by Box Elder senior Paige Baker and the Bees claimed the narrow victory.
SPANISH FORK 10, BOX ELDER 9
Led by Malan in the circle, Box Elder seemingly carried its momentum into its quarterfinal matchup with top seed Spanish Fork and kept to a 1-0 lead on two hits and an error in the third – but then Dons woke up.
Four hits by Spanish Fork junior Jade Romero (double), senior Tatum Hall (RBI double), freshman Jayeda Carter (RBI double), and senior Alyce Archuleta (RBI single) created a 3-1 ballgame for Malan and the Bees at the start of the fourth.
Turns out, the Bees had much more in the tank. Following a scoreless fourth, Box Elder opened the fifth with two quick outs against Spanish Fork starter Lucy Evans ahead of a wild sequence of events creating a 7-3 lead for the Bees in the top of the fifth.
Box Elder’s lineup, which tallied 12 total hits in their second contest, is more than capable of sizing up the Dons’ rotation, Merrill said.
“Lucy’s a great pitcher and she’s been a great pitcher all year,” Merrill said. “Our girls are good hitters and we put up a lot of runs, we put up nine runs and that should’ve been enough to win — it just wasn’t.”
Six hits — Kailee Hall (single), Blackmer (RBI double), Pritchard (two-RBI double), junior Brooke Richards (two-RBI single), Hales (single), senior Stevie Checketts (RBI single) — came in the fifth before the Dons turned to Archuleta to retire the side.
Spanish Fork didn’t take the Bees’ rally sitting down. Battling Malan in the bottom of the fifth, the Dons crossed two runs on an RBI double by Tatum Hall and an error off a bunt by Carter, as the Box Elder lead shrank to two runs by the top of the sixth.
The Bees, maintaining their short leash right down to the seventh, tacked on two more runs on RBI singles by Hales and freshman Lucy Griffin.
In the bottom side, Spanish Fork logged three hits right away – scoring two runs on RBIs by Romero (1B) and Tatum Hall (2B) – as Box Elder retired Malan in search of the save. Braegger stepped into the circle and walked two consecutive batters and allowed another run to make it a one-run contest with no outs on the board.
RIVERTON 14, DAVIS 4
TAYLORSVILLE — Lauryn Hall batted 2 for 3 and drove in one but No. 5 Davis fell to No. 1 Riverton (24-4) in 6A bracket play Tuesday evening at Valley Softball Complex in Taylorsville.
Jada Chilton, Chloe Peery and Cambell Christensen each hit a single while Serena Ross drove in one for Davis (19-6).
The Darts will face No. 4 Pleasant Grove (22-7) again, this time in an elimination game, at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
BINGHAM 11, FREMONT 7
TAYLORSVILLE — No. 7 Fremont fell to No. 2 Bingham (21-5-1) in 6A bracket play late Tuesday. No stats were available at press time.
Fremont (13-6) faces No. 6 Lehi in an elimination game at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
DAVIS 9, PLEASANT GROVE 5
TAYLORSVILLE — Jewel Korth batted 2 for 3 with a home run and five RBIs for No. 5 Davis in a 6A bracket play win Tuesday afternoon over No. 4 Pleasant Grove (21-7).
Lauryn Hall batted 2 for 4 with one RBI and two runs scored for Davis. Jada Chilton added two hits. Serena Roth earned the win with nine hits, three earned runs, five walks and three strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.
FREMONT 13, HERRIMAN 9
TAYLORSVILLE — Ivee Johnsen earned the win with seven hits, five earned runs and one strikeout over 4 1/3 innings, and batted 3 for 4 with three RBIs as No. 7 Fremont bested No. 2 Herriman (20-5) to advance in 6A bracket play Tuesday afternoon.
Kacie Howard also had three hits for Fremont. Savannah Palmatier and Audrey Cooper each had two hits and one RBI.
Justin B. Johnson contributed to score reports.