The 5A state baseball tournament kicks off Monday at BYU.
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Timpani 13, Orem 4
Crosstown rivals Orem and Timpanogos had met three times this season before meeting in Monday's 5A championship game.
Although the second-seeded Timberwolves lost their first meeting, the next two games were evenly matched, with the Tigers winning Game 3.
What do the closest two games have in common? Start slow with Tympanogos.
As the Timberwolves faced Orem for the fourth time this season, they made sure that didn't happen, taking an early lead and holding on to a 13-4 victory over the seventh-ranked Tigers.
Timpanogos chief Kim Nelson breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his team score on the first shot.
"It was very enjoyable," Nelson said of getting started. "We hit a base on the first shot. We had a hard time getting it all done on Friday. I think that start broke the ice and allowed us to take a different approach in the hitter's box."
After scoring a go-ahead -- which ultimately led to an early run by Tim Panogos -- the Timberwolves went to the plate with a loaded base and one out, senior Tanner Morgan. Morgan hit a deep shot down the middle and hit a 3-run RBI double to make it 4-0 late in the first.
The second game continued to start quickly, and Timpanogos scored another three points. Suddenly, the Tigers find themselves in an early slump from which they cannot recoverThe two teams met for the first time this year.
Orem pitched a strong inning in the third -- a zero allowable run and a strikeout -- to get back in the game, but the Timberwolves hit four unanswered runs over the next two innings. , thus closing the door.
Bird was solid on the mound and in the strike zone for the Timpanogos, hitting 68 percent of his pitches while recording three RBIs as a reliever.
"He's been consistent all year," Nelson said of Bird. "I think he made it four straight without giving up the streak he deserved. He's been good to us all year."
In total, six different players have RBI'd for the Timberwolves.
Although the Timberwolves played well in this game, they were still taken aback in the end.
The Timberwolves were considered for an involuntary foul when Chase Riggs came up from Timpanogos early in the sixth to replace compatriot Billy Bird.
The Timpanogos coaching staff gave Riggs a pitch count of 85 in his last game on Friday, meaning Riggs only needs two days off before he can pitch on Monday.
However, Riggs pitched 86, according to stats recorded and uploaded from his last game, which means he needs to rest for three days and won't be able to pitch against the Tigers on Monday.
If Riggs had actually thrown 86 pitches Friday, his sixth-inning check would have resulted in a rule violation and a loss.
Friday's feature film recap showed that the coaching staff's records were correct and that Riggs actually threw only 85 pitches, meaning Timpanogos did not violate the rules.
Thanks to the overhaul, the Timberwolves kept their place as the winning side in Round 5A and kept some room for error going into the playoffs.
Salem Hills 4, Jordan 2
Even a prolonged rain delay won't spoil the Skyhawks' win.
Trailing 4-2, the third-seeded Salem Hills remain victorious in Round 5A and in the lead in a possible title race.
It was all about defense and creating opportunities for the Skyhawks, who had four RBIs and two RBIs.
It was off to a good start for Salem Hills, who had three quick outs in Jordan's first three at-bats. The Skyhawks got off to a strong offensive start after a strong defensive start, getting touchdowns from Kam Coburn and Nolan Miller early in the half.
Coburn scored on a Jordan turnover and Cason Averett scored on a run to put Salem Hills up early.
Later in the bottom of the fifth, Taron Cloward took the lead before a rain delay late in the fifth to give the Skyhawks a 4-0 lead.
The delay seemed to favor the Beetdiggers, who scored their first two runs in four at-bats after the restart. Salem Hills kicker Nolan Miller hit a long layup to end Jordan's momentum-recovering first half.
The Skyhawks finished bottom of Game 6 scoreless and had to hold Jordan to within one point in Game 7 to win. After a strikeout and several singles from Jordan, Salem Hills hit a convincing 5-4-3 double to close out the game and secure the win.
It was a powerful effort for Miller that ended with eight hits and the Skyhawks scored nothing. Averett finished the game as Salem Hills' top hitter with a 2-for-3 RBI run.
Salem Hills meet No. 2 seed Timpanogos at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. MDT got the chance to play in the 5A semi-finals.
Lehi 13, Viewmont 3
Defending champion Lehi continued his title defense with a big win at BYU on Monday afternoon.
No. 4 Lehi's batting exploded for seven runs in the fifth, then added two more in the sixth to beat No. 5 13-3 in six innings in the first game of Group 5A Seed Viewmont.
Eight of Lehi's nine starts contributed to Lehi's hits, and Lehi had 16 strikeouts against four different Viewmont pitchers.
Leading Lehi was first baseman Jackson Brousseau, who went 3-4 with a double and three RBIs, while Braden Willes and McGwire Madsen also contributed three runs in the victory.
Dawson Rodak gives Pioneers the win with his 5th pitch2⁄3Four hit innings, when only four hits are allowed.
Lehi remains in the upper bracket and meets Woods Cross on Tuesday, while Viewmont returns to the lower bracket to meet Brighton.
Woods Cross 1, Brighton 0
Woods Cross continued its incredible performance in the 5A state championship at BYU on Monday afternoon.
The 17th-ranked Wildcats turned the game into a double-elimination series by beating eighth-ranked Brighton in Game 1, with seven hits from pitcher Harley Vicchrilli and seven The game did not lose a point.
In the regionals, No. 17 Woods Cross defeated No. 16 Box Elder 2-1 in a best-of-three series and 2-1 after exiting the Super Regional Series last weekend. Tournament victory over top seed Olympus. 1.
Woodscross scored 11 and 10 in their two wins over Olympus, but Vickery needed just one on Monday.
A lone run early in the seventh inning scored on a wild pitch. It was a tough find for Brighton starter Keith Beams, who was superb in all seven innings, scoring seven goals and conceding just three.