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If Friday was any indication, the Marsh Valley baseball team could be ending the year with yet another state championship.
The two-time reigning Class 3A state champions looked every bit the part by opening the year with dominating 17-0 and 11-0 wins over Teton Friday.
“I’m just excited to see what we can do this year,” Marsh Valley coach Kent Howell said. “We gotta a lot of young talent to go with three seniors.”
Tuff Solomon threw a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in the opener. If not for three hit by pitches, he would have had a perfect game. He also had two RBIs for the Eagles (2-0).
Ruger Scott led the offensive output with three hits, including a pair of doubles, for a couple of RBIs. Chandler Bennett and Kutter Lish also notched multiple hit games with two apiece.
The nightcap was all about Ethan Anderson.
He threw a no-hitter as well with nine strikeouts.
“Came out and threw strikes,” Howell said about both Anderson and Solomon. “I was impressed with their composure for early season baseball. They have some serious potential if they keep working hard.”
But Anderson wasn’t just great on the mound. He drove in a game-high five runs, four of which came on a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning.
Tate Whitworth had multiple RBIs, too. He had two, which matched his output in the opener.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 9, HIGHLAND 8The Rams (0-1) lost an absolute heartbreaker in their season opener when Mason Payne hit the Mavericks’ Cade Burnham on a pitch with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to walk in the winning run late Friday night in extra innings.
Hudson John and Preston Foltz had two hits apiece for Highland, which forced extra innings with a huge four-run sixth inning.
Colton Durham appeared like he was going to win it for the Rams with his two-run double to left field in the top of the eighth. But then Mountain View answered with three runs in the bottom half to snatch it away.
SODA SPRINGS 19, AMERICAN FALLS 6Trey Dunford recorded three hits and three RBIS, as the Cardinals (1-1) got their first win of the season Friday night.
Jack Lee also had three RBIs. Kolten Peterson chipped in with two hits and a RBI, while Junior Horsley fanned four batters on the mound.
Cash Williams led the Beavers (0-1) in the loss with two hits and a run batted in.
MALAD SPLITS ON DAY 2 OF THE BILL BETTS TOURNAMENTThe Dragons (1-2) walked away with an even split on the second day of the Bill Betts Tournament in Fruitland.
They downed New Plymouth 9-6 in their first game before being just edged out by the home team Fruitland 2-1.
Timmy Jensen totaled six strikeouts and gave up just four hits in four and one-thirds innings of work on the bump. Brady Showell and Sawyer Poulson were responsible for the bulk of the offense with five combined runs batted in.
Malad then forced extra innings with the perennial 3A power before Nate Grosvenor finally ended it in the bottom of the ninth with a line drive single to center field.
Carter Blaisdell had two of the team’s five hits for the game.
SOFTBALLBLACKFOOT OPENS SEASON WITH TRIPLEHEADER WINThe Broncos (3-0) couldn’t have asked for a better start at the Dixie Sunshine Classic in St. George, UT and their season Friday.
They went a perfect 3-0 on the day with wins over Needles, CA. (4-3), Duchesne, UT. (9-6) and Skyline, UT. (14-1)
Sela Christiansen walked it off against Needles with a one-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Zaybri Franz had two hits, including a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning and Anna Wieland picked up the win in the circle with a four-hit, five-strikeout performance.
Emma McGuire then led Blackfoot over Duchesne with four hits, including two doubles and a home run, for a pair of RBIs. Preslie Wright also had an impressive showing with three hits, including a double, and three runs batted in.
And Christiansen came up big again in the finale with another dinger to finish with a game-high three RBIs. Kylee Pratt also hit a home run to go along with earning the win in the circle by allowing just two hits.
HIGHLAND SPLITS AT DIXIE SUNSHINE CLASSThe Rams (1-2) went 1-1 on the first day of the Dixie Sunshine Classic in St. George, UT.
They got off to a good start with an 11-8 win over Bear Lake before just falling to Morgan, UT. 7-6 when the time limit was reached in the sixth inning.
Olyvia Bobish went 2-for-2 at the plate, including a double, for three RBIs in the opener against Bear Lake.
Madison Kendall and Reece Bybee also had multiple RBI games with three apiece. Bybee added three steals. McKenna Sutton fanned five batters in the circle for Highland in the win.
Caylee Culver and Natalie Parslow had two hits each for the Bears in the loss.
Cedar Lacey was the only Highland player with more than one hit in the nightcap with two. This included a two-run home run to center field in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Rams, who were down 6-1 at the end of the third inning.
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