RIVERTON — If you’re a batter in Region 3, the last thing you probably want to see these days when you gaze out onto the field are the colors purple, black and silver.
The Riverton Silverwolves picked up their fifth shutout of the season Wednesday afternoon as they suffocated Copper Hills to secure a 5-0 region win. Through eight region games, the Silverwolves have allowed only 19 runs while scoring 45 of their own.
“The key all year for us has been our pitching and defense,” Riverton head coach Jay Applegate said after the win, also mentioning that the defense has been a true group effort each game, with multiple pitchers throwing great games throughout the season.
On Wednesday, it was Cooper Hansen’s turn to deliver a solid pitching performance. Hansen gave up no earned runs on just four hits with three strikeouts in six innings.
Hansen’s performance was boosted by some outstanding infield play that consistently executed the routine stuff while also making a few tough outs throughout the game.
Applegate said that kind of execution is exactly what he and his staff preach to the players.
“We try to make an emphasis on making at least 85% of the routine plays, and if we can make one out of four tough plays, then we will get ourselves out of some tough jams,” Applegate said.
“We know that kids are going to make errors. We understand that, but we try to have a philosophy here that if somebody makes an error, you can’t make back-to-back errors. That philosophy allows the kids to really want to make the next play.”
Senior third baseman Tryston Musgrove consistently made the routine plays for the Silverwolves Wednesday, but also made a couple of impressive, off-platform throws to secure outs for his side.
“He had a great game,” Applegate said of Musgrove. “Today they hit a lot of ground balls in his direction and he simply made the plays. We take a lot of pride in that.”
The Riverton offense was boosted by a strong performance in the third inning, which saw the team score four of its five total runs. Parker Goff, Mack Bright and Sam Beck each recorded RBIs in the inning for the Silverwolves.
“Execution,” Applegate said when asked what made the inning so successful. “We had a hit-and-run, a bunt, a lot of the small ball stuff at first and then we were able to turn the lineup over and then some guys hit some hard balls that allowed us to score some runs.”
Riverton’s fifth and final run of the game came when freshman Zach Edwards hit a solo home run beyond the left field wall. The home run was Edwards’ third dinger of the season.
The win was Riverton’s second over Copper Hills in as many days. The Silverwolves will play the Grizzlies one more time on Friday before they turn their attention to a three-game series against second-place Jordan, a series that will likely determine the Region 3 champion.
Applegate said that he and his players remain focused on their next game against Copper Hills and are not looking ahead to the potential implications that the future series against the Beetdiggers may have.
“The only message I have for my guys is for Friday,” Applegate said. “Copper Hills will have one of their best pitchers throwing in (Dillon) Kelly, so if we don’t take care of that then it won’t really matter what happens next week.”
Applegate also said that he and his team don’t feel any pressure as they try to win their second region title in four years.
“Nah, we’re not pressured. We’re just focusing on taking the small steps so that when we get to the state tournament, we’re playing our best ball,” he said before giving the one of the most used, yet meaningful, sayings in the book: “We’re really just taking it one game at a time.”
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3sZwLPd
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