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Show orts SP A12 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2009 Covering what matters most CUTTING IT CL OSE Dons and Skyhawks go down to the wire to get wins Namon Bills / Spanish Fork News Barry Dalton / Spanish Fork News SWING: Spanish Fork's Hadley Thorpe takes a swing in the home game against PG. SAFE: Spanish Fork's Lea Adamson beats the throw at first for a single in the seventh. Dons defeat PG in 8 Lady Dons stop Lehi John Jackson STAFF W R I T E R The Dons varsity baseball team withstood two tough games from a feisty Pleasant Grove squad to begin region play with two important wins. Overall, the Dons are now 9-0, but as this past week proved no region game will be easy. The Dons play in the tough Region 4 that will leave at least two very good teams home during the state tournament. Trevor Randolph had quite a week, going 6-7 with a home run and four doubles, while the Duke brothers — along with a stellar inning from Chase Castleberry — carried the Dons from the mound. Spanish Fork 4 Pleasant Grove 3 (8 innings) at SF If you like watching effective pitching then this was the game to see. A total of 21 strikeouts and only 10 hits for the entire game showcased dominant pitchers from both squads. It took eight innings before the Dons were able to push the winning run across the plate for the walk-off win. The Vikings struck early with an unearned run in the first inning. A single, followed by a Don fielding error allowed the run to score on a fielder's choice. The Dons quickly took the lead in the bottom of the inning when Trevor Randolph led off with his first double of the day. Randolph scored when the patient-hitting lefty Greg Money hit an RBI single. Money scored when Brock Duke dropped an RBI sin- gle into left field. Meanwhile Adam Duke went on cruise control. Duke struck out four of the next six hitters he faced before giving up a leadoff home run in the fourth inning to tie the game 2-2. The speedy Nate Binks helped Duke out in the inning by running down a deep fly ball in right field that saved at least a double. Great defense continued in the fifth when gold glove first baseman Greg Money dove for a line-drive down the line that turned a would-be double into an out at first. The defensive plays paid off when the Dons scored one run in the fifth to take the lead. Trevor Randolph drilled another double to See DONS * A9 Brent Thurgood STAFF WRITER a an error by the Lehi third control in the top of the sevbaseman. Lyndsey Healey enth as the score remained scored in the third after dou- 8-2 with two outs. The final The Lady Dons softball bling to left, while senior out proved to be much more team found themselves Tina Ferguson scored in the difficult as Lehi scored six waiting for over a week forth, after leading off with runs to tie the game, includafter returning from sunny a triple when Katelyn El- ing two home runs. St. George to get back on liott singled to center. After blowing a six-run the diamond. Their opening lead, the Dons could have The Dons seemed to be game, originally scheduled in cruise control as they been a little tight heading for March 26, has been re- headed into the later in- into the bottom of the sevscheduled three different nings. Junior pitcher De- enth, but they showed thentimes due to the wet and zlee Roberts had held Lehi mental toughness. Senior cold weather. Spanish Fork to just a single run over the Lea Adamson reached on an was finally able to step first five innings while giv- infield single, giving way to back onto the diamond in ing up just three hits. As pinch-runner Brooke Thurtheir region home opener the Dons headed to the top good. Thurgood advanced against the Pioneers of Lehi of the seventh, they found to second on a bunt single High School. Spanish Fork themselves with what by Tina Ferguson. With no scored a single run in each seemed to be a comfortable one out, Coach Andrews atof the first four innings, 8-2 lead. The six-run lead tempted to bunt Thurgood grabbing a 4-0 lead. Junior quickly evaporated. The to third. Lehi, attempting to Kylee Bufton drove in the Pioneers knocked Roberts get the lead runner, fired the first run on an RBI single in from the mound in the sixth ball to third base. The Lethe first, followed by a un- inning, giving way to fresh- hi third-baseman was unearned run in the second as man Kailey Christensen. Janessa Nielson scored on Christensen seemed to be in See LADY DONS • A10 Skyhawks get win in eight-inning nail-biter Alexa Johnson STAFF WRITER vensen, making the score 4-5 for Delta. With an error-free fourth On Wednesday, March inning, the score stayed 31 the Skyhawks softball 4-5 until the Delta batters team took on the Delta wrought trouble at the top of Rabbits in the hopes of add- the 5th. The first two Rabbit ing another win to their re- batters, Ashley Dearden and cord. The Skyhawks played Bailey Steele, started the catch-up most of the game, inning off strong, both hitbut managed to pull out the ting up the middle. A bunt 11-10 victory in extra in- by Maklee Bliss loaded the nings. bases, and the Skyhawks They fell behind early- were in trouble. Delta on in the game with a first scored four in in the inning, inning score of 1-3 for Del- making the score 4—8. The ta, despite a lead-off triple Skyhawks bats fought back, by Hailey Ingram, and a but they came out of the inning scoreless. double by Brooke Ford. In the second inning, the After one more run Skyhawks let two runners scored at the top of the score on fielding errors, but sixth by the Rabbits, the fought back by scoring two Skyhawks brought out their of their own, using a single bats with a lead-off single by Jerika Durfey, and an by Jerika Durfey, who later RBI by Trisha Christensen. stole second on the Delta At the bottom of the catcher. Britnie Adamson third, the ladies scored one hit it up the middle, scoring more run off of an RBI Durfey. The Delta pitcher fly ball hit by Taelyr Ste- gave out three walks, and the Skyhawk batters remained strong, leaving a score of 8-9 for Delta. At the bottom of the seventh, trailing by one, Salem's Britnie Adamson hit an RBI up the middle, scoring Jerika Durfey for the tying run that sent the game into extra innings. In the eighth Delta started off with a single by Jessica George, who eventually scored by tagging on a fly ball. The top of the eighth was salvaged by an incredible third-out play by shortstop Hailey Ingram. The Skyhawks started off their half of the inning with a triple by Ingram, which scored the automatic runner on second, tying the game up once more at 10-10. With the pressure on, Brooke Ford hit a fly ball to centerfield, which was dropped by the centerfielder.The Skyhawks Samantha Beck / Spanish Fork News scored to end the game in EXTRA INNINGS: Taelyr Stevensen gets a hit against Delta. The Skyhawks won the game victory, 11-10. 11-10 in the eighth inning. i, • i. |