Manti softball headed to state championship tourney
Bob Bahlmann
Staff writer
5-4-2017
KAMAS—It took a performance that was nearly record setting to do it, but the South Summit Wildcats shut out the Manti softball team 5-0 in the weather-delayed final regular season game of the year.
“Hannah (Peterson) was on fire,” said Manti coach Susan Hatch. “She had 16 strikeouts.” Peterson, the ace pitcher for the Wildcats was just three strikeouts short of the 2A state record of 19.
The disappointing loss, on Monday of this week, ends the regular season with Manti and South Summit tied at 8-2. The Wildcats will go into the state tournament as the number-one seed by virtue of their two wins over the Templars.
Last week, the Templars defeated South Sevier on Tuesday, April 25. Against the fifth-ranked Rams, the Templars jumped out to a five-run lead after the first inning. Meg Larsen hit a two-RBI triple and then came home on a homerun by Kiana Pogroszewski.
South Sevier narrowed the Templar lead with two runs in the third, and another in the top of the fourth, to make it 5-3 in Manti’s favor.
Manti scored another run, but then went two outs in a row.
Undaunted, the Templars found their bats and went on a nine-run, two-out rally to take a 12-run lead. The defense held and the game was called on the mercy rule after five innings.
Pogroszewski went the distance from the pitching circle for the win.
Manti will now have a week to prepare for the state tournament, which gets underway on Thursday, May 11, at the Spanish Fork softball complex.
Manti will take the field at 1:15 p.m. against either Parowan or Kanab. These two teams tied for third in the 2A South, and seeding will be determined by a coin toss.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Hatch scheduled a game against 5A Taylorsville for Tuesday, and is “hoping to pick up another game before state.”
