Lehi Sports
Pioneer softball starts year red hot; Team dedicates season to stroke victim
The Lehi softball team has opened the spring campaign with a 9-1 mark in non-region action against a variety of opponents, serving notice that they’re a team to be reckoned with.
After the team returned from their Nevada tournament, player Mya’s mother Michelle Maughan, an employee of Lehi city, suffered a stroke on Sunday evening. She had surgery and will be undergoing additional testing.
The players have chosen to dedicate the rest of their season to her. A gofundme account has been set up on the Lehi Softball Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LehiSoftball/ to help support the family in meeting her medical expenses.
Mar. 5: Lehi 14, Orem 4
The Pioneers opened at home against the Tigers. The game was close until the bottom of the third inning, when Lehi plated seven runs. The Pioneers added five more the next inning and limited Orem’s response enough to end the contest after 4 ½ innings.
Sophomore Abbi Harroun got the start in the circle and notched the win, giving up just a single run with seven strikeouts and four walks. Senior Sophie Bliss pitched the final at-bat for the Tigers and struck out two.
On the other side of the plate, junior first baseman Mya Maughan led the offense, smacking two doubles for three RBI and two runs scored. Sophomore catcher Piper Emery went 3-for-4 including a home run and three RBI. Sophomore Camry Wassmer scored three times.
Mar. 11: Lehi 8, Grantsville 7
The visiting Cowboys led this contest until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Pioneers rallied for all eight of their runs to go up by two. Grantsville was only able to get one run across in the top of the seventh, so Lehi pocketed the victory.
Harroun got the start with sophomore Addi Felix coming on in relief to retire the side in the fifth inning and hanging on to get the victory. Wassmer smacked a triple and scored twice for the Pioneers while Bliss hit two across and came in herself.
Mar. 12: Lehi 3, Spanish Fork 2 (9)
The Pioneers pulled out an extra-inning thriller on the road. The Dons took the lead with a run in the third inning and maintained that margin until Lehi got a run in the top of the sixth.
That’s how it stayed until the top of the ninth inning, when the Pioneers pushed two runs across. Spanish Fork responded with one run in the bottom half but that was all they were able to get.
Bliss and Maughan each hit one run in. Sophomore Brinlee Skidmore stole one base and scored twice as a pinch runner and Wassmer made Lehi’s other run. Harroun went the distance in the circle.
Mar. 17: Lehi 12, Farmington 6
The Phoenix got ahead early with three runs in the top of the first inning and led 4-0 entering the bottom of the fourth, but the Pioneers plated nine runs in that at-bat and added three more in the sixth inning to win this contest going away.
Harroun threw six innings and Bliss was the closer. Junior left fielder Brynlee Cook had a big afternoon at the plate, going 4-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. Maughan singled and doubled, while Wassmer, Bliss, sophomore outfielder Liv Davies and Emery each drove in a run.
Mar. 20-22: Pioneers go 5-1 at tourney
The Pioneers went to Las Vegas for the Bishop Gorman Tournament last week and earned an impressive record playing out-of-state programs.
The one loss was in the first game of the event, when Lehi was bested by Shadow Ridge of Las Vegas 5-2. The Pioneers took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second on a home run by senior second baseman Makenzie Grose. However, they gave up four runs in the top of the fourth and didn’t get any more.
Next Lehi took a 5-1 lead over Galena (Reno NV) in the second inning and went on to a 7-3 victory. Emery singled and tripled. She joined Felix, Bliss and Davies with one RBI each. Skidmore stole three bases.
On the 21st, the Pioneers topped Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo CA) 6-2. The Mustangs scored first but Lehi went up 3-1 in the bottom of the first and never looked back. Grose went 4-for-4 with a double and four RBI. Wassmer was 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored.
In the second game that day, the Pioneers beat Clovis (CA) 11-6. Each team plated six runs in the lively first inning, but only Lehi scored after that. Maughan went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, four RBI and a run scored. Freshman Allyx Navares was 3-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and a run. Skidmore stole four bases.
Lehi got up early on Douglas (Minden NV) on the 22nd and went on to an 8-3 win. Bliss doubled and tripled for three RBI and two runs scored to lead the attack. Grose went 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs.
In the final contest of the weekend, the Pioneers blitzed Foothill (Henderson NV) 16-2 in four innings. Maughan singled and doubled for four RBI and a run scored while sophomore Reese Taylor had three RBI from two base hits and scored twice. Navares added three hits, two RBI and a run.
“I’m pleased with our results so far,” said Coach Tim Kennedy. “We always schedule a tough preseason. We beat Grantsville and Spanish Fork in the same week.
“Grantsville has won six of the last seven 3A state championships and Spanish Fork in 5A has won the last four. And, we have Riverton this week which has won three out of the last four championships in 6A,” he said.
“We just got back from the Bishop Gorman Showcase,” Kennedy continued. “Our only loss was to a 6-1 Shadow Ridge team which is currently ranked No. 2 in Nevada. It was our first game of the tournament and we were a bit rusty.
“We all thought if we had played them the following day, we would have had a better result,” he said. “It’s not going to get any easier either.
“We have Desert Hills, Salem Hills and South Sevier coming up, which have a combined record of 29-3. Also Spanish Fork a second time in the Payson tournament. And that’s not to forget about our region schedule that starts after spring break.
“We currently stand at 9-1 and as far as I can tell, that’s the best start the program has ever had,” Kennedy said. “We are fairly young with only two seniors. We don’t take anything for granted and know that it’s going to be a grind.
“Doing great things starts with culture. We have a perfect mix of culture and talent and I’m excited to see where that takes us,” the coach concluded.
