Union, Grantsville, Logan, North Sanpete, Manti, and Emery advanced in the 3A softball bracket play. The quarterfinals featured a notable game where Union defeated North Sanpete 13-10.
Key points
Union defeated North Sanpete 13-10
Grantsville, Logan, Manti, and Emery also advanced
Haylee Moynier had a standout performance
The games were part of the 3A bracket play
UnionNorth SanpeteGrantsvilleLogan
Spanish Fork pitcher Avery Sappâs mitt and ball sit on the ground during a photo shoot as she is named Ms. Softball and poses for photos in Spanish Fork on Monday, June 12, 2023.
Spanish Fork pitcher Avery Sappâs mitt and ball sit on the ground during a photo shoot as she is named Ms. Softball and poses for photos in Spanish Fork on Monday, June 12, 2023. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News
Not only did she lead her team to a 13-10 win over No. 2 North Sanpete to advance to the 3A semifinals, but she did so with stellar numbers.
Union dominated Richfield 10-0 in the Cougarsâ first game at Tuesdayâs state tournament. Though both wins, Moynier was six-of-seven hitting and tallied six total RBIs.
Oh, and she got back-to-back wins on the mound and totaled 20 strikeouts through both games.
That pitching came through for the Cougars against North Sanpete, but it had some uncharacteristic errors, which made things closer than Union coach Evah Taylor wouldâve liked.
âHayleeâs such a good pitcher that I think sometimes when a ball is in play, they get a little caught off guard,â Taylor said. âAt the same time, theyâve got to know thatâs coming, and theyâve got to focus a little bit more. My defense is better than that. It might look like we donât play a lot of balls because Hayleeâs a high strikeout pitcher, but my defense is still, I think, one of the best in 3A.â
Moynier was backed up offensively with three RBIs from Payzlei Parrish and two from Teddy Oleen.
Union also hit six doubles as a team in the win.
It was a stark difference from the last time the two teams met in late April. In that game, the Cougars couldnât score a single run and lost 6-0.
âI tip my hat to their pitcher (Kaecee Johnson),â Taylor said. âSheâs a good pitcher. I think it was hot, she was a little tired, and we capitalized on it. We know hitting is contagious, and once we got rolling, itâs like they learned that the next person and the next person, it just goes through our lineup.â
Q&A
Which teams advanced in the 3A high school softball bracket play?
Union, Grantsville, Logan, North Sanpete, Manti, and Emery advanced to Day 2.
What was the score of the Union vs. North Sanpete softball game?
Union defeated North Sanpete with a score of 13-10.
Who had the standout performance in the Union vs. North Sanpete game?
Haylee Moynier from Union had an exceptional performance during the game.
When did the 3A high school softball bracket play take place?
The 3A high school softball bracket play took place on Tuesday.
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A nine-run fourth inning nearly guaranteed Manti a win over Richfield, but it almost gave it all away. However, the Templars pushed through the adversity and punched its ticket to the 3A semifinals with a 14-12 win.
After losing its first game of the day to North Sanpete, Manti rallied for back-to-back wins against Morgan and Richfield.
âIt feels really good,â said Manti head coach Belinda Osborn. âItâs been a couple of years since weâve made it to the second day. We gave North Sanpete a pretty good game, and then we had that little bit of adrenaline dump, and we got tired, but we persevered through Morgan.â
It looked as though Manti was going to walk away with a clean 13-3 mercy-rule victory after it took that lead with the nine-run fourth inning.
However, Richfield just never went away. It rallied back, including four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to make things scary for the Templars.
They didnât panic and found the third out for the win.
âI talked to my girls about digging deeper and that theyâve got to have that mindset of not giving up,â Osborn said. ââMind over matterâ is what I told them.
With the year Emery has had, it wouldâve been easy to hang its head after it lost its first-round matchup to Grantsville.
Just a year ago, the Spartans earned a spot in the championship. This year, they walked into the state tournament with only five total wins.
That doesnât tell the whole story. Emery coach Daniel Luke scheduled a brutal non-region schedule, yet it still came away from all except two non-region games with a loss.
The adversity Emery dealt with this year came in handy, and it rallied for back-to-back wins over Carbon and a 15-6 win over Canyon View for a spot in the semifinals.
âThe girls just work hard,â Luke said. âWe have had a long year, but we scheduled a tough schedule to build character, and you can see the character they got.â
In the quarterfinal win, Emery had eight players record at least one RBI. The Spartans totaled 17 base hits.
Elli Stoker led the way with four RBIs and one double, and Bailey Luke added three RBIs and a double.
âThe girls come out and hit the ball well,â Luke said. âPitching-wise, picked it up today, and so we played really well.â
Defending champion and top-seeded Grantsville is always the team to beat at the 3A state tournament. Once again, nobody could, and the Cowboys earned a spot in the 3A semis with a clean 3-0 win over Logan. Hits were hard to come by for Grantsville, but its defense largely increased its margin for error. That bought the Cowboys some time until they could put the game away in the fifth inning.
It started when Grantsville coach Tony Cloward called sophomore Brooklyne Goodnightâs number. Goodnight hasnât hit much this season, but she stepped up and delivered a home run in her only at-bat on Tuesday.
âThat one run sparked us, and that was a girl I pulled cold off the bench,â Cloward said. âJust shows Grantsvilleâs depth, right? I pulled a sophomore off the bench and said, âGo give it a try.â And she hits a home run to give us a spark.â That home run sparked a 3-run fifth inning. With the defensive game Grantsville was having, it was more than enough to put Logan away.
The Cowboysâ defense started with pitcher Hayden Bythewayâs nine strikeouts, and then her teammates just made plays behind her.
âOur pitcher today, Hayden, threw outstanding,â Cloward said. âBut we also backed her up, too. We made some great plays behind her. One run would have won it today because our defense played that well.â
No. 2 North Sanpete surged with six runs in the third inning, paving the way to a 10-4 victory over Manti. Manti stayed scoreless until the fourth inning, when it scored two runs, and added two more in the seventh, but it wasnât enough to catch up. Autumn Oldroydâs home run with four RBIs played a significant role in North Sanpeteâs win.
No. 4 Logan won 8-1 over No. 5 Canyon View in the 3A state tournament, with Leila Pauni hitting a two-run home run. Logan took control in the second inning with three runs and piled on four more in the sixth. Cambree Cooper was dominant on the mound, striking out 13 Falcons. Canyon View managed only one run in the seventh inning. Miley Allen hit two home runs in the win.
No. 3 Union dominated Richfield 10-0 in the 3A state tournament, showcasing a strong five-run second inning. Haylee Moynier went two-for-three at the plate, contributing two RBIs, and struck out 10 on the mound. Richfieldâs only hit came without scoring as Union capitalized on their 10 hits and Richfieldâs 3 errors to secure the win.
Top-seeded Grantsville surged in the second and third innings to win 7-4 against Emery in the 3A playoffs. SaDee Castagno led the charge for the Cowboys with a double and two RBIs, while Payten Bytheway added two RBIs of her own. Despite Emeryâs late attempt in the sixth and seventh innings, scoring four runs, it wasnât enough to overturn their deficit against the focused Cowboys.
Richfield secured a 9-5 victory over Juab in the 3A state tournament, thanks to Emma Waymanâs four RBIs. Juabâs Raylie Ballow recorded eight strikeouts despite the loss. After leading from the onset with three runs in the first inning, the Wildcats added a crucial three-run burst in the sixth inning to maintain their lead.
In the 3A Playoffs, Diane Alderâs stellar performance, going 3 for 4 with a double and triple, helped Manti win 13-11 against Morgan. Manti initially took an early lead, scoring 3 runs in the first inning, but Morgan tied the game with a six-run surge in the fourth. Manti responded with a decisive seven-run rally in the sixth inning to secure their victory. Savannah Ramone and Dakoda Cheney each recorded three RBIs for Manti.
In a back-and-forth 3A playoff matchup, Emery rallied late to win 18-11 over Carbon. Hadley Grimm delivered a strong performance for the Spartans, hitting a home run and collecting three RBIs. Despite trailing after Carbon scored three runs in the first inning, Emery surged ahead with a five-run fourth inning.
No. 5 Canyon View erupted for nine runs in the fifth inning to secure a 13-5 win over No. 11 Ogden. The Falcons took control of the game with their explosive nine-run fifth inning, which was enough to hold on against Ogdenâs four-run effort in the sixth. Sadie Sams and Sadie Shumway each contributed two RBIs to propel Canyon Viewâs victory.
