Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
OREM — After finishing the regular season 8-16, the Spanish Fork Dons hardly looked like the powerhouse teams of the past.
Without a winning season since 2022, this season's squad entered the 5A state baseball tournament as the No. 20 seed in the RPI. But after a nine-win tournament run and a 2-1 series victory over Brighton, the Dons are back.
Spanish Fork defeated Brighton 7-3 in Game 2 and 7-4 in Game 3 to capture the 5A state championship — its first since 2021 and ninth in program history.
The Dons knocked off No. 4 Alta, cross-town rival and defending champion No. 1 Maple Mountain twice during the tournament before upsetting No. 2 seed Brighton, which finished as runner-up for the second straight year.
Game 3
Nixon Warren tripled to score a run, and was later driven in by Trigg Cloward to give Spanish Fork a 2-0 lead in the third inning. Brighton responded in the fourth as Cooper Scott tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Easton Fry.
The Bengals added two more in the fifth on three singles and two walks. Fry tallied his second RBI of the game with a base hit, and JC Garza tied the game 3-3 on a sacrifice fly.
Through five innings, both teams had three runs and five hits.
Brighton's Case Beames, an Arizona commit, went 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and three earned runs. Spanish Fork's Kayden Lambson gave up three hits and recorded five strikeouts in his outing.
After a scoreless seventh, the game went to extra innings — but only one was needed.
With runners on first and second and no outs, Brighton pitcher Wilder Strong fielded a bunt and attempted to get the force out at third. The throw sailed past the third baseman, allowing both runners to score to give Spanish Fork a 5-3 lead.
Game 2
Brighton opened the series with a three-run first inning, aided by multiple errors from Spanish Fork. But the Dons responded in the bottom half of the inning with a two-out, two-run single from Jackie Sorenson.
Freshman Cody McLean then gave Spanish Fork a 4-3 lead with a two-RBI single later in the inning. In the fifth, Cloward extended the lead with a two-run single as the Dons continued inching toward a title.
Brighton rallied with a four-run eighth inning to send the series to a decisive Game 3.
