High school baseball: Brighton, Maple Mountain, Salem Hills, Orem secure 5A state tournament wins

Here’s a recap of the 5A baseball state tournament games at UVU on Monday, May 20. Brighton, Maple Mountain, Orem and Salem Hills were victorious to march on in the winners bracket.

Orem 3, Springville 2

Orem edged out Springville 3-2 in extra innings in the 5A state tournament bracket play on Monday at UVU. The fifth-seeded Tigers (21-7) took an early lead with single runs in the second and third innings.

Eighon Petitta led Orem offensively, going 2 for 4 and recording one RBI. Jaxtin Johnson also contributed, going 1 for 3 with an RBI. Springville (20-6), the No. 4 seed, rallied with two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game.

Orem’s Easton Davies was great on the mound with 10 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings, but he got a no decision as the Red Devils rallied. KJ Decker earned the win for Orem, recording one strikeout, while Braxton Hughes took the loss for Springville, also striking out one.

Orem advances in the winners bracket to face No. 1 seed Brighton at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, while Springville will face Cyprus in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m.

Brighton 10, Cyprus 0

Top seed Brighton defeated Cyprus 10-0 in 5A state tournament bracket play on Monday at UVU, led by a dominant pitching performance from Case Beames. The junior pitched six innings, allowing only three hits and striking out 10 batters.

The Bengals (25-3) grabbed an early lead with three runs in each of the first three innings. Jack Saba was a standout at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. Easton Fry and Riley Brown each contributed two RBIs.

Brighton pounded out 12 hits to win in six innings. Brighton remains in the winners bracket and will play the Orem-Springville winner on Tuesday at 7 p.m., with Cyprus playing in an elimination game at 1:30 p.m. against the Orem-Springville loser.

Cyprus (20-9), the No. 8 seed, struggled to find momentum against Beames’ pitching and was held scoreless throughout the game. Gabriel Kendrick took the loss for the Pirates.

Maple Mountain 9, Murray 2

No. 2 seed Maple Mountain jumped out fast against No. 7 seed Murray in Monday’s 5A state tournament bracket play game at UVU on its way to the 9-2 win.

The Golden Eagles (23-4) capitalized early, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding four more in the second to take a 7-1 lead. Sawyer Leifson led Maple Mountain, going 2 for 3 and recording three RBIs. Max Walker also contributed significantly, going 2 for 3 and scoring three runs.

Bennett Averett added to the effort with two RBIs, finishing 1 for 4. Chase Johnston secured the win for Maple Mountain, striking out three over four innings. Murray (21-4) struggled with defensive issues, committing four errors that proved costly.

Despite the loss, Jamison Vigil put forth a strong effort on the mound, recording five strikeouts. Murray’s offense was unable to recover from the early deficit, managing only five hits throughout the game.

Maple Mountain will play Salem Hills in the winners bracket on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at UVU, while Murray will look to keep its season alive in a 5A elimination on Tuesday at 11 a.m. against Box Elder.

Salem Hills 12, Box Elder 4

Salem Hills defeated Box Elder 12-4 in 5A state tournament bracket play on Monday at UVU. Both teams scored three runs in the first inning, but the Skyhawks (19-9) broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning to take a 10-3 lead.

Chase DeGraffenried was the standout for Salem Hills, going 4 for 4 and recording six RBIs. Alex Cloward also had a notable performance, going 2 for 3 and driving in three runs. Kason Averett pitched four innings for the Skyhawks, recording three strikeouts and allowing just one walk.

Damon Rodriguez took the loss for the Bees (17-16), striking out one. Despite the loss, Box Elder put up a fight with 11 hits, including a triple by Landen Golmon, who drove in two runs. Salem Hills tallied 13 hits in their offensive surge, with Kaleb Holman, Aiden Haskell, Corbin Gull and Dagen Gammell each contributing key hits.

With the win, Salem Hills advances in the winners bracket and will face No. 2 seed Maple Mountain at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Box Elder faces Murray in an elimination game at 11 a.m.