Lehi Sports
Pioneer baseball finishes 2nd in rugged league
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Pioneers finished Region 3 play with a 9-6 record, earning second place behind American Fork (12-3). They received the No. 5 seed in the final 6A RPI rankings and blasted No. 12 Davis out of the Super Regionals with 11-0 and 15-3 victories last week.
April 21: American Fork 8, Lehi 3
The Pioneers started the Caveman series on the road and scored all of their runs in the top of the sixth inning. Senior Kannon Whiteley pitched most of the game with Boston Gramse and Jack Marchbanks also making appearances.
A pair of home runs provided all of Lehi’s scoring. Sophomore James Rex hit a solo shot and senior center fielder Dawson Brown drove in two runs with his.
April 22: Lehi 7, American Fork 4
On their home field, the Pioneers took the lead with a run in the bottom of the first and led the entire contest. Junior pitcher Sawyer Call threw a three-hitter with six strikeouts and four walks, with senior Taygen Stephensen coming on in relief for the final four outs.
Brown singled and homered for three RBI while senior catcher Hazen Elton went 3-for-4 including two doubles and two RBI. Sophomore shortstop Jake Welch also had three hits for two RBI and three runs scored.
April 24: American Fork 11, Lehi 6
In the tiebreaker, the Cavemen went up 9-2 in the first two innings and rode that advantage to victory on their home diamond. Five Pioneer pitchers saw time on the bump, but senior pitcher Sean McAfee took the loss.
Elton almost hit for the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a single, double and home run for three RBI. Welch had two singles and a double and scored twice. Rex added two hits, one RBI and one run.
April 28: Lehi 13, Lone Peak 0
The Knights were undefeated until they played the Cavemen and still had just three losses coming into this contest. The Pioneers ended up being the only league team to sweep them this season, and it started with this shutout victory on the road. Call went the distance and gave up just three hits.
Elton singled and homered for four RBI. Senior infielder Cole Ybarra also had a home run for two RBI and crossed one other time. Rex had a double, drove in two and scored three times. Brown added two hits and two runs while Welch had an RBI and scored twice.
April 29: Lehi 16, Lone Peak 7
The Knights led briefly in the second inning, but the Pioneers tied the score in the bottom half and took the lead for good the next stanza. Lehi pounded out 19 hits including five doubles and two home runs while Stephensen claimed the win and Whiteley threw two innings.
Welch had a busy night at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three doubles plus one RBI and four runs scored. Ybarra and senior Ryder Ockey each had two hits, three RBI and two runs. Rex had three RBI as well.
Whiteley and Elton had three hits apiece including a home run and two RBI, with Whiteley crossing the plate one other time. Junior Kyson Butterfield scored twice as a pinch runner.
May 1: Lehi 6, Lone Peak 5
The Pioneers got all their runs in the fourth inning on the road and then held on for the only narrow victory of the set. Welch, McAfee and senior Brayden Hansen combined to pitch for the win.
Junior infielder Brody Bauer doubled and tripled, drove in two runs and scored one. Elton and Ybarra had solo home runs while Brown and Rex posted one RBI apiece.
May 4: Lehi 10, Corner Canyon 7
The Pioneers won this game with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Call started the game and Stephensen notched the win in relief. Welch went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double for five RBI plus an additional run.
Elton added a single and two doubles with two RBI. Senior infielder Ryder Schultz had two hits including a double, two RBI and two runs. Senior left fielder Murphy Madsen had two hits, one RBI and one run.
May 5: Corner Canyon 4, Lehi 3
The Pioneers tied the game with their three runs in the top of the sixth, but the Chargers squeezed one in during their turn in the bottom half and held on for the win. Hansen pitched five innings, but Welch got the loss in relief.
Madsen didn’t get a hit but provided two RBI and Bauer added one without a hit as well. Brown, Ybarra and Butterfield scored the runs.
May 7: Lehi 7, Corner Canyon 3
The tiebreaker was played at The Ballpark at America First Square, home of the Salt Lake Bees minor league franchise in a high school exchange program. The Pioneers didn’t get the upper hand until they plated four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
McAfee made the start, but Stephensen got the win in relief. Offensively Lehi got a boost from Rex, who singled and doubled to drive in four runs. Bauer and Colt Kelley added one RBI and one run apiece, while Madsen tallied two hits and two runs.
The Pioneers (16-10) face No. 4 Riverton (19-8) Monday (May 18) at 7 p.m. to start bracket play at BYU in the 6A tournament. Check back later for a complete roundup of their state run.
