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PROVO — Momentum can be a scary thing in softball.
And Riverton had all of it in the second inning of the first game of the best-of-3 Class 6A state championship series Thursday evening.
Jolie Mayfield went 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored, and the Silverwolves scored 11 runs in the bottom of the second inning to cruise to a 14-0 win over West at Gail Miller Field at BYU.
"It's awesome to have momentum and just be able to trust your teammates, to pass the bat to each other," Mayfield said. "That was cool to see everybody get into it; it was fun."
Kaysen Korth fanned seven on a three-hitter in the circle for Riverton (27-1), which can wrap up back-to-back 6A titles Friday at 1:30 p.m. in Provo.
But before they got there, the Silverwolves had to get a little bit of momentum after a scoreless opening frame. And that momentum started on defense, when Mayfield sent Riverton to bat with a stunning grab up the middle to end West's second-inning attempt.
"Momentum is such a huge thing, especially in softball," said Mayfield, a Utah commit with a state-high 62 RBIs. "When you make a play like that, it gives you confidence for the rest of the game. You've got to use what you can to keep you fueled, and I think I did that today."
Korth took a no-hitter into the top of the fourth, when West's Jayda Spight blitzed to first to beat the tag on a pop-up bunt for the Panthers' first baserunner of the game.
But the Silverwolves never got too up or too down, using their momentum to halt any earned by the Panthers (23-4).
"Something we coaches preach is staying level emotionally. We weren't dragging our heads after going 1-2-3 in the first inning, just like we weren't overhyped after scoring 11 in the second," Riverton coach Katelyn Elliott said. "It's very much about playing the gam until the last pitch. You're going to get better every single pitch.
"It's very easy in high school to blow your socks off with emotion out of the gates, and when the other team gets a run, it's a big emotional drop — an emotional roller coaster. Teaching a team of teenagers to be consistent emotionally, no matter the outcome — you can't control outcomes, wins, or losses; but you can control how you react to every pitch. And you see a calm, cool and collected team. That's next-level stuff."
It helped, of course, that by that point Riverton was up 11-0 thanks to a wild 11-run second-inning spurt capped by Lilly Heite's three-run homer. The sophomore utility player stepped up to the plate with two outs and an 8-0 lead before uncorking a bomb over the left-field fence that pushed Riverton's advantage to double digits.
The defending champions never looked back.
"That was probably the greatest home run I've had," Heite said. "It felt great to have in a state game on a college field.
"I honestly thought it was going to be a foul ball, then I thought she might catch it. But I heard everyone cheering and coming out of the dugout, so I knew it went out."
Mariyah Delgado went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Heite finished with five RBIs and three runs scored for the Silverwolves.
