Utah 4A, 5A baseball and softball state title game capsules: 2015

OREM – With a championship on the line, Pleasant Grove found itself in a familiar situation.

The Vikings baseball team reached the Class 5A championship game last spring and forced a second game with Jordan before falling to the Beetdiggers. One year later, Pleasant Grove once again needed to play two championship games before claiming a trophy.

This time, against Bingham (South Jordan), the Vikings enjoyed a much sweeter outcome – beating the Miners 6-2 to win the Class 5A baseball championship Friday evening at Utah Valley University.

"We weren't going to fall short," catcher Payton Henry said. "We worked harder than ever during the winter and did everything that we could. That's what happens when you work hard. We worked harder than everybody else and deserve this."

Pleasant Grove (27-3) won its first baseball title since 1998. Chase Merrell powered the Vikings at the plate to secure the victory, going 2-for-3 and driving in four runs.

Bingham (29-5) jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning before getting a single hit, with Aaron Marsh scoring on a double play and Chad Wilson coming home on a wild pitch.

Pleasant Grove finally took the lead in the fifth inning. Henry doubled to deep center field, driving home Ben Eldredge and Easton Walker to put the Vikings up 3-2. Merrell followed suit with another two-run double that brought in pinch-runner Malik Overstreet and Mathew Wilde.

It put the Vikings ahead 5-2 and they stayed in front en route to their first state title in 17 years. Pleasant Grove had to deal with the expectations that go with being the No. 1 team in Utah all spring, but never wilted under the pressure.

"We accepted it and embraced it," Vikings coach Darrin Henry said. "We don't have pressure in our program. What we have is right here – "Clutch City." We don't think anything is ever pressure. We think it is an opportunity to perform in the clutch."

Bingham forced a second game after surviving a late rally to edge Pleasant Grove 8-7 in the first game. The Miners never trailed through seven innings, but still endured several nervous moments down the stretch.

For a while, it appeared Bingham would cruise to a blowout win. Braydan Diddle and Kade Cloward blasted back-to-back doubles to break a 1-1 tie and give Bingham a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning. The Miners tacked on five more unanswered runs – going up 7-1 when Cody Kitchen came home on a throwing error in the fourth to cap the spurt.

Pleasant Grove mounted a major comeback in the bottom of the fifth inning. Trailing 8-2, the Vikings ripped off five straight runs in the inning. Zach Peterson singled to drive in one run and scored the final run himself to cut Bingham's lead to one.

Miners reliever Bridger Jensen allowed just a single hit in the final two innings to prevent Pleasant Grove from completing the comeback.

It generated enough momentum for the Vikings, however, that they gained the mental edge they needed going into the second and final game.

"To be honest, I knew we would win it," pitcher Derek Wall said. "We're not a losing team and after that first one, we knew we'd take it right back to them. The loss built us up for a bigger win."

Spanish Fork 5, Maple Mountain (Spanish Fork) 4

At Orem, Devin Argyle drove in a pair of runs to cap a four-run spurt in the sixth inning and Spanish Fork held on to claim a 4A championship.

The Dons (15-14) secured their first baseball state title since winning back-to-back Class 4A titles in 2010 and 2011. It capped an incredible turnaround for a Spanish Fork team that lost 12 of its first 17 games before rallying to win its final seven contests.

"We kind of beat them down and built them back up a little bit with the schedule we had," Spanish Fork coach Casey Nelson said. "They trusted the process. They trusted the coaches and that we knew what we were doing"

Maple Mountain (22-11) opened the scoring in the third inning. Jake Mafi doubled and sent in a pair of runners – Kade Poulsen and Jaren Hall – to put the Golden Eagles up 2-0. Andrew Wixom singled in a third runner to make it a three-run advantage.

The Golden Eagles went ahead 4-1 in the fourth after Colton Hamilton singled in another run. Spanish Fork settled down on the mound once reliever Remo Rivera took over. With Rivera on the mound, the Dons allowed just one hit the rest of the way.

It set the stage for Spanish Fork's sixth-inning rally. The Dons finally took their first lead when Argyle drove the ball deep into center field and his hit – combined with a fielding error – brought in the final two runners to cap a four-run spurt.

Argyle felt confident he could get a hit because Maple Mountain had already gone deep into its bullpen and was on its fourth pitcher by the sixth inning.

"I felt like I knew exactly what was coming," Argyle said. "I had 100-percent confidence I'd get the job done and that's what I did."

SOFTBALL
Lehi 7, Herriman (West Herriman) 2 (1st game)
Lehi 7, Herriman 2 (2nd game)

At Taylorsville, Lehi overpowered Herriman in two straight games – winning each one by the same margin – to claim its second-straight Class 5A softball title.

The Pioneers (28-9) are the first Class 5A team to repeat as state champions since Bingham won three consecutive softball titles from 2008 to 2010.

Lehi broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning to force a second game. The Pioneers scored five unanswered runs over the final two innings – culminating in catcher Brogan Kirby driving a two-run homer to center field.

Sydney White took over in the pitcher's circle in the second game. She held Herriman (26-6) scoreless through the first three innings and allowed just five total hits.

Kirby got Lehi on the board when she led off the third inning with another home run. It sparked a scoring frenzy that eventually gave the Pioneers a 4-0 lead heading into the fourth. Emme Cluff added a solo home run in the fourth and Stefani Zimmerman belted a two-run homer in the fifth to give Lehi an insurmountable 7-1 lead.

Spanish Fork 4, Maple Mountain (Spanish Fork) 1

At Taylorsville, Cheyenne Pratt hit a three-run, walk-off home run to lift Spanish Fork to a 4A state title.

The Dons (27-5) claimed their first Class 4A title behind strong pitching from Cambrie Hazel. She engaged in a pitchers' duel with Maple Mountain ace Carley Guymon. Both pitchers tallied seven strikeouts.

The Golden Eagles (22-9) scored their only run in the first inning when Bailey Witney blasted a solo home run to put Maple Mountain up 1-0.

John Coon covers Utah High School Sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports