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OREM — The road to a state baseball championship is paved with purple and gold, or it just got harder for supporters wearing blue and orange this weekend.
Bennett Averett had a triple with three RBI, and No. 2-seeded Maple Mountain used a six-run fifth inning to take a 12-9 win over top-seeded Brighton in Game 1 of the 5A championship series Friday at Utah Valley University's UCCU Ballpark.
Chase Johnston, AJ Thomas and Colby Warren each added a pair of RBI for the Golden Eagles, who will face the Bengals in Game 2 Saturday at 11 a.m. MDT.
If Brighton wins, a winner-take-all third game will follow at approximately 4:30 p.m.
Sawyer Leifson fanned three to earn the win for Maple Mountain (27-4).
Cooper Scott drove in three runs for Brighton, and Cooper Johnson added a triple and an RBI for the Bengals (27-4).
6A championship: Eight-run third paces Pioneers' 11-1 win over Corner Canyon
Braden Hansen struck out seven to get the win as fifth-seeded Lehi used an eight-run third inning to pull away from No. 11 Corner Canyon, 11-1 in Game 1 of the best-of-three 6A championship series Friday at UVU's UCCU Ballpark.
Corner Canyon (19-12) struck first with a run in the top of the first. But Cooper Williams, Murph Madsen and Dawson Brown each had two RBI to help the Pioneers (21-9) strike 11 times in the second and third innings to pull away for the 10-run win in five.
Kash Koncar had an RBI for the Chargers, who will have to win twice Saturday to win a 6A championship beginning at 1:30 p.m. MDT at UCCU Ballpark.
