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TAYLORSVILLE — Mallory Barber and Gabriell Beckstrom drove in three RBI in the bottom of the first inning Wednesday to help Spanish Fork roll by Region 8 rival Maple Mountain, 8-2, in the winner’s bracket final of the 4A state softball tournament at Valley Complex.
Beckstrom opened the scoring with an RBI base hit as the Dons attacked the Golden Eagles early, and Barber drove in two more to en route to a 3-0 lead after one.
“Any time you can get a cushion right off the bat, it makes life better, especially around me,” Spanish Fork coach Don Andrews said. “I’m not really intense, and I don’t really demand perfection. But they’d better be working towards it.”
Spanish Fork added three more in the bottom of the third, including a two-RBI double by McKenzie Branch to jump out to a 6-0 advantage and coast to the win.
Spanish Fork pitcher Cambrie Hazel gave up just five hits, but two of them were solo home runs. Maple Mountain’s Mickie Mills went yard in the fourth inning, and Sydnie Wilson added a solo shot in the seventh, as well.
But the Dons got a home run of their own from Brylee Rudd en route to the comfortable win.
Maple Mountain will face Uintah in a one-loss bracket game Thursday at 1 p.m. The winner will play the Dons at 4 p.m. MT in the 4A state championship at Valley Complex. If Spanish Fork loses, a second game will immediately follow.
“They can play better, but they played OK,” Andrews said. “It’s tough to beat a team three times, and it’s even tougher to beat them four times. That’s what we’ll be up against tomorrow.
“But it’s an all-Region 8 final, and that’s OK with us.”
