Timp Sports Weekly
April 10, 2012
Publisher's Message
For this week's issue, we look at the opening of Region Four play in spring sports. Stories covered in this issue involve the three-game series between the Awesome American Fork Cavemen and the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings. We will also focus on two Lehi boys' soccer games and two Lehi sophomore baseball contests. As they saw in Lehi, let's hop right to those stories.
Dean Von Memmott
Publisher
Awesome Cavebatters Outlast Ferocious PG Vikings in Game 1 of 3-Game Series
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
The No. 1 ranked Awesome American Fork Cavemen survived a Ferocious Pleasant Grove Viking comeback during a Region Four baseball opener at American Fork April 10.
Awesome Caveman Coach Jarod "The Prankster" Ingersoll said, "Our guys played well in the first six inning. We pretty much folded in the seventh innning. I'm pissed at how we played in the final inning. We got to play 21 outs, if we expect to win. We played well only for 18 outs. I'm absolutely disappointed about today."
The Ferocious Vikings led only once in the game. In the top of the first, Riley Erickson rifled a singled into right. On two outs, Jake Barnhart singled Erickson in. Third baseman JeremyReynolds picked off a Ty Harmon fly ball to keep Barnhart stranded on base.
Singling into right in the bottom of the first, Morgan "Mo" Flinders came home on a double whacked by Riley "Otto" Otteson. American Fork soon loaded the bases. A Danny Beddes walk scored a run, and after pitcher Drew Velez had struck out Cade Hill, a "distant cousin" of TV character Hank Hill, a Jeremy Reynolds' sacrifice groundout scored Jake Miles.
During the top of the second, pitcher Otteson struck out three straight Ferocious Vikings. However, American Fork couldn't pick up any runs in the bottom of the second, because of Miles hitting into a double play.
Otteson managed to hold the Ferocious Vikings scoreless until the top of the seventh, even though Skylar "Muncy" Munson singled off him in the third while Harmon and Easton Walker each registered a fourth-inning single.
In the bottom of the third, Reynolds singled in Beddes, who slugged a right-field single. The next inning, singles from Flinders and BJ Eldredge paved the way for the Awesome Cavemen to pick up three runs on an Otteson sacrifice fly and Miles' two-run double. When American Forok loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, an Otteson walk scored a run, putting the lead at 9-1.
Otteson's impressive performance as a pitcher soured when McKay Lewis doubled in Zac Hicken to start off an eight-run rally that forced American Fork to go through three pitchers. Near the end of the rally, Lewis hit a second straight double that reeled in two Ferocious Vikings to tie the game at nine. Left fielder Flinders' catch of an Erickson fly ball shut down the rally.
In the bottom of the seventh, a Zac Willis single soon resulted in American Fork loading the bases on one out. Two batters after Pleasant Grove had intentionally let Hill walk, Brock Lamb came back into the game. Lamb chopped a single to bring in pitch runner Alec Shultz in for the winning run.
Awesome Cavemen Defeat Ferocious Vikings 4-3 in 8-Inning Thriller to Complete 3-Game Sweep
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
The Awesome American Fork Cavemen posted a 4-3 win during an eight-inning game that they played at home against the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Viking April 13. The win completed the three-game series that American Fork had played against its arch rival.
In the April 11 game at Pleasant Grove, American Fork won 12-6. In that contest, the Ferocious Vikings rallied within 9-6, but the Awesome Cavemen scored three runs to lock up a win.
Because American Fork was ranked No. 1 and Pleasant Grove No. 5 in state polls, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News sent sportswriters to cover the April 13 game. The Provo Daily Herald, thank God, didn't send any reporters to cover it. I still hate that newspaper. Anyhow, what Tribune reporter Kyle "I Love My Dear Old Maryland Terrapins" Goon and Deseret News columnist Randy Hollis saw at the game was worth the drive from the big city of Salt Lake.
Awesome Cavemen pitcher Blake "Hat" Brailsford gave the Ferocious Vikings much frustration during the game's first six innings. In the top of the first, for example, he struck out Riley Erickson. Brailsford then caused former Awesome Caveman McKay Lewis to fly out to left field and Rylan Peterson to ground out to third baseman Cade Hill, a "distant cousin" of TV character Hank Hill.
The bottom of the first opened with Morgan "Mo" Flinders grounding out to shortstop Easton Walker. No. 2 hitter Riley "Otto" Otteson singled into left, and he eventually snuck around to third base. However, he got stuck there, for Walker turned up a double play,
With shortstop Jake Miles grounding out Jake Barnhart at the start of the second, Pleasant Grove looked as though it would be contained again that inning. However, Ty Harmon whacked a single off Brailsford and then advanced to third on a Bryce Jones double. Walker attempted to bunt Harmon in, but Brailsford turned up a double play that ended with catcher Zac Willes tagged Harmon.
Right after left fielder Mitch Merrill picked off a Danny Beddes fly ball at the start of the second's bottom half, Cade Hill singled off pitcher Harmon. The pitcher retaliated by striking out Jeremy Reynolds, a son of former Brighton Bad Old Puddy Tat baseball player Jason Reynolds. The strikeout couldn't stop the Awesome Cavemen from getting on the scoreboard. Brock Lamb chopped a single into left, paving the way for B.J. Eldredge to level a devastating hit to Pleasant Grove. Eldredge tripled Hill and Lamb in. Though Walker grounded Flinders out right afterwards, the devastation of the Elderedge triple still couldn't be undone.
The pitching duel between Harmon and Brailsford prevented any scoring in the third inning. In the top of the fourth, Pleasant Grove finally got onto the scoreboard. Singling into left at the start of the fourth, Lewis soon came home on a two-out single whacked by Jones.
Harmon kept the Awesome Cavemen from scoring any runs until the bottom of the sixth. Harmon's pitching allowed the Ferocious Vikings to eventually pull ahead of American Fork. In the top of the fifth, Erickson hit a double that sent Merrill dashing for third, where he got forced out. Lewis doubled in Erickson to tie the game at two. After Peterson flew out to left, Barnhart slugged a baseline single into left, moving Lewis to third. However, Harmon flew out to left before Pleasant Grove could pull ahead that inning.
The sixth inning went down as being the being most upsetting and thrilling for the Ferocious Vikings in the game. The inning opened with Jones knocking a fly ball over the left-field fence. The Ferocious Vikings celebrated as he circled the diamond. When Jones passed third base, he violated two taboos. First, he took off his helmet before he reached home plate. He then didn't even touch home plate. Thus, the plate umpire called him out.
The call infuriated Pleasant Grove Coach Darin "That's Bush League" Henry. He stormed over to the plate umpire and angrily protested the call. The ump wouldn't reverse it. Henry later admitted, "I thought I was going to get tossed. I was so mad that the ump had robbed us of that home run. I still think Jones had touched the plate."
"He didn't, though," said American Fork Coach Jarod "The Prankster" Ingersoll. "Jones had overstepped the plate. The ump made a gutsy call in declaring Jones out. The ump was right for making that call."
It still didn't prevent the Ferocious Vikings from pulling ahead. On two outs, Braden King singled into left, and Erickson batted him in. Brailsford retaliated by striking out Lewis.
In the bottom of the sixth, Beddes doubled into center. After Harmon had struck out out Hill, he walked Reynolds and Lamb, loading the bases. This gave American Fork a good break. However, Beddes got picked off at third. The pickoff would have proved fatal to American Fork, had it not been for an error at third base that let Flinders reach first and Reynolds home. Reynolds' run forced the game into an eighth inning.
It opened with Jones singling into left. American Fork nailed him in a squeeze play at second. The Awesome Cavemen also tried getting Walker in a squeeze play at third, but he reached that base before any infielder could tag him. Reliever Kai Clayton struck out King, but walked Merrill, giving American Fork fans the jitters. However, Erickson flew out into center before Pleasant Grove could slip ahead again.
On a second pitch delivered to him at the start of the eighth's bottom half, Hill smacked a homer over the left-field fence, ending the game. Hill told members of the press, "I knew I hit it good. When it went over the fence, I made sure that I touched every base and kept my helmet on. There was a lot riding on that hit. It was my first home run of my high school career."
Ingersoll said, "I'm happy with how we finished the series. Blake came out and threw six great innings. Kai completed the game for us. Blake threw lots of strikes for us, holding PG scoreless for the first three innings. He still has much to do to improve this year."
Lone Peak Loners Soak Up Lehi 6-2 in Baseball Action April 11
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
In Region Four baseball action at Lehi April 11, the Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, soaked up the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, 6-2.
With the Froggies having lost to the Loners at Lone Peak the day before, the Knights anticipated to win easily on Lehi's home marsh. However, Lehi pitcher Cam Lux gave the Loners much frustration in the first two innings. In the top of the first one, for example, the pitcher caused Loners Carson Kelshaw and Hunter Trowbridge to ground out to infielders. Parker Kinkade doubled off Lux, but left fielder Taylor Nielson snatched a Mason Hayes fly ball, holding the Loners scoreless. Even though Lux walked Jeremiah "Bullfrog" Van Dyke at the start of the second inning, he didn't let the next three Loner batters get on base.
Meanwhile, in the bottom of the first, leadoff batter Tyson Webster singled into center, and he soon scored on a M'Kay Driggs sacrifice fly in center field. Loner pitcher Neal Burraston answered that run by striking out Nielson.
A former Loner, Braxton Deveraux came up against Burraston in the bottom of second. On two outs, Deveraux singled into left. Kade Evans also singled, but the Loners nailed him in a fielder's choice play at second before Deveraux could score.
That fielder's choice play enabled Burraston to hold the Froggies scoreless until the fifth. Burraston's outstanding pitching set the stage for the Loners to snatch the lead away from their hosts.
In the top of the third, J.D. Spencer singled into center. After Lux walked Kelshaw, Kinkade batted in Spencer. The tied score got smashed to pieces through Hayes homering in three runs on a fly ball knocked over the right-field fence.
In the fourth's top half, Tavin Smith singled into left, and on one out, a Spencer double brought him home. Kelshaw singled in Spencer, but got forced out on a throw from right field to second base. Getting on base through an error, Trowbridge made it to third on a Kinkade double. Replacing Lux at the mound, Cole Christofferson grounded out Hayes.
Singling in the bottom of the fourth, Nielson tried stealing second, but he got put out out there on a throw from catcher Justin Simpson, a "distant cousin" of TV character Homer Simpson.
During his time on the mound, Christofferson didn't let the Loners score any runs, even though he gave up a fifth-inning double to Van Dyke and a sixth-inning single to Spencer.
In the bottom of the fifth, Evans hit a one-out single into left. That hit set the stage for the game's last run. After Webster had flown out to left fielder Spencer, Burraston walked Nolan Padilla. Suddenly, K.J. Griffith batted in Evans in. Driggs popped out to right fielder Van Dyke before the Froggies could get a rally going.
Although a Webster single permitted the Froggies to load the bases on two outs in the bottom of the seventh, first baseman Kinkade caught a Driggs pop fly to win the game.
Lehi Froggies Defeat Ferocious PG Vikings In Soccer Overtime Thriller March 29 Thriller
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
In a Region Four boys' soccer opener at Lehi March 29, the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, defeated the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings 4-3 in overtime.
During the first half, Froggie Landon Jacobson scored the first goal. However, Ferocious Viking Nate Spencer evened the game at one. The score stayed deadlocked at one during the arrival of halftime.
The game's second half went down as an experience quite riveting -- or as they say in Lehi, ribbiting. Spencer broke the tie on a 40-yard kick. Davis Crabb ignited a strong Froggie attack on the Ferocious Viking penalty area. At 27:30, Froggie Wes Crump tied the game at two.
Before the Froggies could leap ahead, Ryan Fonsecca tipped the Ferocious Vikings ahead 3-2 during an indirect kick four minutes later. Lehi didn't let Pleasant Grove make any insurance goals. So at 18:20, Jacobsen tied the game at three on a shot from inside Pleasant Grove's penalty box. Jacobsen's successful shot forced the game into overtime.
Neither team could score a goal in the first overtime. Three minutes into the second overtime, though, Froggie Logan Cottle passed to Bosco Muhire just outside the penalty area. Moving at panther speed, Muhire kicked in the game-ending goal.
"That was the biggest goal of my life," Muhire said. "This my first time playing varsity."
Lehi Coach Jerry Prisendorf said, "This year, we haven't give up more than a goal per game -- until tonight. We gave up three in this game. Pleasant Grove earned all three of their goals. With this being our first region game for this year, they showed they wanted it as much as we did."
Loners Defeat Lehi Froggies 2-1 in Overtime Soccer Game April 6
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
The Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, outlasted the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, 2-1 in a boys' soccer overtime thriller at Lehi April 6.
The game went down as one of the most critical contests of this spring, for it left the Loners leading the region for the rest of the regular season.
The game went down as very physical. Early in the contest, the referee policing the action on the field hurt his foot. So he traded positions with a flagman. The replacement referee showed that he had yet acquired the experience needed for him for keeping the play from turning really rough. During several points, fist fights almost erupted. The replacement referee somehow managed to keep Loners and Froggies from duking it out on the Astroturf field.
Amid the constant tension, the Froggies had something to croak about 13 minutes into the game. The Loners drew a violation inside their penalty box. At 27:00, Froggie Wes Crump scored on a penalty kick.
For a while, it looked as though that the Froggies would leap away with a 1-0 win. However, Loners Brody Berry, Cam McLaughlin, and Andy Anderson showed strong determination in making sure that would not be the case. Those three Lone Peak players led frequently attacks on the Froggie penalty box. Finally, on indirect kick, McLaughlin kicked in a tying goal. It forced the game into overtime.
The overtime period saw Froggies Landon Jacobson and Connor Brown guide several deep attacks. However, Loner goalie Kaden Killpack didn't let let any Froggie shots past him. Late in the first overtime, the Froggies drew a foul in their penalty box. Lone Peak Blaine Hale had Killpack make the penalty kick. Killpack booted the ball into the net, handing the Froggies their first loss of the season.
Hale said, "We had missed three penalty kicks we had made so far this season. So I had Killpack go for the kick. I gotta have a lot of faith in my goalie."
Lehi Sophomore Froggies Quiet Timpanogos Timberpups 7-3 In Baseball Action March 30
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
In a sophomore baseball game played at Timpanogos March 30, the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, quieted the Timpanogos Timberwolves, AKA the Timberpups or T-Pups, 7-3.
In the win came in the aftermath of the T-Pups' jayvees drying up Lehi 13-3 earlier in the day. Although the Froggies took a 3-0 lead in the first inning of that game, the T-Pups shut them down. Timpanogos scored four runs in the third, three in the fourth, and five in the fifth, and one in the sixth. In the sixth, Jacob Jersh knocked in a run to win the game for Timpanogos.
Lehi made the sophomore game a completely different story. In the top of that inning, Preston Higgins batted in two Froggies on two outs. Pitcher Dean Chandler struck out Terry Pexton to retire Lehi to the field.
In the bottom of the first, Skylar Johnson tripled into center, and Mike Canfield batted him. Canfield scored a tying run on a Jordan Evans single. Lehi answered with a double play. Pitcher Paul Sandmire stuck out Tyler Richardson.
The score stayed tied at two until the third. In the top of that inning, Ryan Absher hit a one-out single into center, and Morgan Sopher tripled him in. Sopher then scored on a Colt Sampson single. On two outs, Sampson tried stealing second, but got put out by a throw from Lane Tate.
Singling into center in the bottom of the third, Johnson soon came home on a Canfield sacrifice fly.
Two fifth-inning errors let Lehi's Hunter Bolles score a run. Sampson singled in a run to improve the Froggie lead at 6-3.
It came under a strong threat in the bottom of the sixth when singles from Evans and Ryan Jacobsen enabled the T-Pups to load the bases on two outs. However, Lehi didn't let Timpanogos make any runs that inning.
On two outs in the seventh, Sampson singled in Absher for an insurance run. Lehi held Timpanogos in check in the bottom of the inning.
Lehi Coach Matt Bezzant said, "We made our fair share of mistakes, but we did well enough today to get a W."
Awesome AF Sophomore Cavemen Post 8-6 Road Win at Lehi April 4
By Dean Von Memmott
Timpanogos Sports Weekly Publisher
The Awesome American Fork Cavemen's sophomore baseball team posted a 8-6 win at Lehi April 4.
Neither team could score during the first inning. American Fork scored a run in the second inning and four in the third. In the bottom of the third, Kade Josephson scored on an error, setting off a three-run rally for the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies
Lehi held the Awesome Cavemen scoreless in the top of the fourth. This gave the Froggies a golden chance to hop ahead in the bottom of the fourth. Its lower half opened with Hunter Bolles doubling into center. After Josh Higgins got on base through a walk, Paul Sandmire hit into a double play. It could have proved disastrous to the Froggies. However, Haden Hunt hit a one-run single that set up another three-run rally that put Lehi ahead 6-5.
A cousin of Awesome Caveman basketball player Morgan "Mo" Flinders, Logan Flinders singled in Emmett Green to tie the game at six. The contest stayed deadlocked until the top of the sixth when Craig Brailsford, a younger brother of American Fork pitcher Blake "Hat" Brailsford, tripled in two runs after teammate Turner Knight, a former West Jordan Pussy Cat player, had doubled into center.
With the Awesome Cavemen back out in front 8-6, American Fork looked as though it would pick up insurance runs in the seventh when Kyle Poulson and Flinders each hit a one-out single. However, Andy Bartholemew, the son of former Caveman wrestler Rick "Dr. Death" Bartholemew, hit into a double play. American Fork looked as though it would soon be in deep trouble.
That prospect looked strong when a Preston Higgins single helped the Froggies loaded the bases on no outs. After Sampson got picked off at third, American Fork prevented Lehi from scoring any runs.
