Game Details - Softball

Defending 4A champion Bear River dominated its way back into the championship series. The Bears got a mercy-rule victory in every game during its bracket, including a 12-2 rout of Deseret Peak in the semifinals. The secret sauce to the Bears success, according to head coach Jordan Theurer, is their depth. “I feel like the last three games in bracket play, it's been a different kid to step up in different moments,” said Theurer. “It’s huge when you have one through nine that can step up when it needs to or when they need to. That's a huge momentum swing, but I felt like we made plays on defense that were really the momentum swingers in that game.” The semifinal started slow for Bear River after the Golden Eagles earned a slim 1-0 lead after the first inning. Deseret Peak held onto the lead, but as it always does, Bear River broke away. It started with a three-run third inning for Bear River, and then the dam fully broke with a seven-run sixth inning to get the 12-2 mercy-rule win. The Bears had 13 base hits across nine different players, with seven of them recording at least one RBI. Bri Gardiner, Kate Wilson and Marley Tisdol all led with two RBIs each. Gardiner and Cora Miller each hit a home run in the win. The Bears saw three different pitchers, and each time they made the necessary adjustments. “One thing that you love as a coach is being able to make adjustments from pitch to pitch,” Theurer said. “We saw three pitchers in that last inning. We were making adjustments, which when you can make adjustments pitch to pitch and not at bats from at bats, it puts you in a really good spot to put runs up.”