The Grand County High School softball team earned a 9-7 upset victory over the Region 14 Champion Juab Lady Wasps on Saturday, May 5, in the first round of the state 3A softball tournament. At the same time, the baseball team trounced Morgan 14-0, before falling 4-3 to Carbon in a second-round nail-biter in the double-elimination state 3A baseball tournament in Helper.
The Lady Red Devils got home runs from senior Tyra Robertson, junior Hannah Owen and sophomore Jaci Shumway, while also getting multi-RBI games from Kaci McKinney (three runs batted in) and Toni McElhaney (two runs batted in). Robertson’s and Owen’s home runs both came in the final inning, breaking a 7-7 tie.
Shumway pitched the entire game, giving up nine hits and six walks, but only suffering two earned runs.
“It was a great team effort,” Grand softball coach Brook Shumway said. “We needed everyone to pull this one out. Jaci pitched a great game, only giving up two earned runs. Hannah Owen caught a great game, throwing out several potential base stealers. Corteney Noyes had a diving catch. Hannah Tangren had a diving catch and turned it into a double play. Jessica Jones played great at third base … everyone contributed.”
Grand will play Manti in the second round of the double-elimination tournament on Thursday, May 10, at 10 a.m. at the Spanish Fork Softball Complex.
Manti placed second in Region 15, the same region in which the Lady Red Devils compete. The Lady Templars beat Grand in both games of a double header on April 20, winning the first 5-4 and the second 6-4, despite Grand having leads in both games. The winner plays the South Sevier/Grantsville winner, while the loser drops into the one-loss bracket to continue play. The tournament concludes with the crowning of a state champion on Saturday, May 12.
“We are really playing great right now,” Brook Shumway said. “We just need to continue to be confident at the plate and play solid defense and we have a great shot to make a run at the state title.”
The baseball team pounced on the Morgan Trojans in the first round on May 5 in Helper, scoring nine runs in the first inning on their way to a 14-0 mercy rule win after five innings. Senior Masen Ward pitched three innings, striking out five batters; while junior Brody Williams pitched the last two, striking out a pair. Senior Brayden Schultz had a triple and three runs batted in, while senior Josh Jones and junior Trevin Packard each had two runs batted in.
The second-round game later in the day against host and Region 14 champion Carbon was more hotly contested. The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when the Dinos took a 1-0 lead. In the fifth inning, however, the Red Devils had a two-out rally with back-to-back doubles from senior Alec Williams and Jones before Schultz hit a home run to put Grand up, 3-1.
The Dinos put a pair of runs across in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score back to 3-3, and put the final run of the game on the board in the sixth inning for a 4-3 win.
Jones pitched into the sixth inning, striking out five batters and walking two the traditional way, although he also hit four batters.
“I feel like we out-pitched them and out-hit them,” Grand baseball coach Jared Meador said. “They play in one of the deepest ballparks in the state, and they needed every inch of it. The depth of their field really protected them. Our kids would love to run into them again later in the tournament.”
The Red Devils continue play in the one-loss bracket against Judge Memorial on Thursday, May 10, at 1:30 p.m. at Juan Diego High School. The tournament concludes with the state title being crowned on Saturday, May 12.
Teams continue tournaments this weekend
“I feel like we out-pitched them and out-hit them. They play in one of the deepest ballparks in the state, and they needed every inch of it. The depth of their field really protected them. Our kids would love to run into them again later in the tournament.”
