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OREM — Mick Madsen has learned several lessons during his baseball career at American Fork, but one lesson stood out Friday night.
“If we play with a lead, we never lose,” Madsen said. “That’s all we’ve done all year.”
Madsen pitched five innings with six strikeouts and just two walks, and American Fork scored five runs in the bottom of the first to hold off rival Lone Peak, 13-9 in the Class 5A state championship at Brent Brown Ballpark at Utah Valley University.
The win was American Fork’s fifth victory over of its Region 4 rival, with the only loss coming during Thursday’s winner’s bracket final in Orem.
The Cavemen (25-7) made up for it Friday with two wins, including an 8-4 victory in the first game of the day.
“It was fun. We’ve beat them five times this year, and the fifth was as hard as every other one,” Madsen said. “Facing Seth Corry and all those good players — it was awesome to be able to beat them.”
Travis Johnson started on the hill for American Fork, and the freshman completed two innings giving up four earned runs in nine at-bats.
“He did a good job,” American Fork coach Jared Ingersoll said. “That will pay off in the future for us; Travis did a great job for two innings.
“We needed just a couple of innings to give Mick the job until the end of the game. I can’t say enough about his leadership, and all the seniors and their leadership.”
Corry, who started on the hill for Lone Peak (21-9), finished with 13 strikeouts while facing 24 batters, and also blasted two home runs.
Buster Hardman went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Hagen Holmstead was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs to lead the Cavemen, who dropped five runs each in the first and sixth inning to clinch the win.
The first inning was highlighted by back-to-back RBI singles with the bases loaded by Jace Ybarra and Johnson to take control early.
“We had a plan going in, and the kids executed it,” Ingersoll said. “My assistant coaches put in a plan, and the kids stepped up there and we had some success.”
But Cole Gambill drove in two runs with a laser down the rightfield line during a three-run second for Lone Peak to pull within a run, 5-4.
After a three-run third by the Cavemen, Corry woke up the Knights within a run, 8-7 with a three-run homer over the right-field fence in the top of the fifth. The junior then fanned two in the bottom of the fifth to preserve give the Knights a chance.
He loaded the bases in that critical fifth inning with two walks, then drew the inning-ending strikeout to get out of the jam.
But that was as close as the Knights would get.
But American Fork scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take control for good, including a bases-loaded single that scored three on a fielding error.
That was the final pitch of the night for Corry, who was relieved for Talmage Lamb and sophomore Kobe Freeman for the final inning.
“That’s a good baseball program,” Ingersoll said. “Every time we play those guys, it’s always a battle being so close to them. They’re well coached, and they do an unbelievable job.”
Lone Peak 1 3 0 0 3 0 2 — 9 11 4
American Fk 5 3 0 0 0 5 x — 13 10 2
2B: Holmstead (LP).
HR: Corry 2 (LP).
WP: Madsen. LP: Corry.
Corry belted a two-run home run over the rightfield wall for Lone Peak in the top of the seventh, but the damage was done, and Madsen struck out Keenan Kelshaw to give the Cavemen the championship.
“We’ve had so many things go against this team, and they fought their butts off all year long,” Ingersoll said. “We’ve been strong in the face of adversity, and I’m proud of them. They are unbelievable kids.”
Opening game
American Fork scored four runs in the sixth inning to secure an 8-4 win over rival Lone Peak and force an elimination game Friday.
Winning pitcher Peyton Barney went 2-for-3 with a run scored for American Fork, including a double to lead off the sixth. Barney tossed a five-inning six-hitter with six strikeouts for the Cavemen (23-8).
Lone Peak's Payton Freeman ripped a solo home run that soared over the second fence in left field of Brent Brown Ballpark to pull within 3-2, but it was as close as the Knights (21-8) would get.
Madsen accounted for two of American Fork’s three runs in the third inning to jump out to a 3-0 start. Lone Peak’s Keenan Kelshaw pulled one back in the bottom of the inning, but the Knights never got their footing the rest of the way.
