After easily defeating Roy by seven last Saturday, Pleasant Grove softball was tested in the second game of its playoff series with the Royals Monday afternoon.
The Vikings came from behind to win the game 11-8, advancing to the second round of the 6A state tournament.
No. 13 Pleasant Grove will play No. 4 Clearfield in another best of-three matchup in the second round.
The Vikings stumbled early, giving up three runs in both the first and second innings. The Royals took a 6-3 lead in the second when junior infielder Olivia Bruch ripped a home run over the right field wall.
Highlighted by a two-run shot from senior first baseman Kaitlyn Phelon, though, Pleasant Grove managed to put four runs of its own on the board over the same two-inning stretch.
“I knew (Roy) was going to come today with a little better game because their life was on the line,” Vikings head coach Leslie Young said. “I think in the beginning, we didn’t come out with the respect we should have and kind of dug ourselves in a hole and had to dig ourselves out.”
Pleasant Grove dug itself out of the early deficit, taking its first lead in the sixth inning. Going into the bottom of the sixth, Pleasant Grove faced a two-run deficit with the bottom of its order coming to the plate. Annie Diesen drew a walk, Jazlyn Bullock and Brooke Fisher ripped off a double apiece, Hadlee Walker reached base on an error and cleanup batter Phelon took it the distance for her second two-run homer of the day, giving the Vikings an 11-8 lead.
Young felt her team was going to have that kind of an inning.
“I don’t think there is going to be a pitcher that shuts us down. Eventually we’re going to break it open. Not at any point did I feel like we weren’t going to start a fire and get our bats going. I just was wondering when,” Young said. “Then (we had) timely hits, getting runners on second and third in scoring position.”
Hits at just the right moment pushed the Vikings into the next round of the playoffs, but none were bigger than Phelon’s two home runs that gave Pleasant Grove four runs and propelled the team to victory.
“I just wanted to get in and be a (good) teammate and do my job,” Phelon said. “A home run happened, two of them, so it was great.”
The timing was perfect, as the seventh inning saw senior pitcher Zoey Rose pick up two strikeouts, a ground ball and the win for the Vikings.
The Vikings will look to pick up their 16th and 17th wins of the year later this week as postseason play continues.
“I think we just have to come out respecting (Clearfield) and doing our best, giving it our all,” Phelon said.
Pleasant Grove will face Clearfield on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Roy finishes the year at 7-17.
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3hCem9c
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