Game Details - Softball

There were multiple times in the 4A semifinal between top-seeded Desert Hills and Orem that the Thunder were on the ropes. It took 10 innings, and each time Desert Hills fought back. In the end, it took the 7-6 win over the Tigers to advance to the 4A championship series with Bear River. “One through nine, no one ever quits,” said Desert Hills coach Heidi Taylor. “That's how it's been all year long.” It was very slow going for both teams. It took until the third inning for the 0-0 tie to be broken by a run from Orem. It didn’t last long as Desert Hills responded with a run in the fourth. With the defensive heavy nature of the semifinal, it seemed the first team to break through was going to take the win. So, when Orem scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning, it looked like it was over for Desert Hills. The Thunder saw it differently. They responded with two runs of their own to keep the game alive. It was close as Orem had a one-run lead with two outs as Lily Ringel tried to get home on a pop-fly. The ball beat Ringel to home, but she dodged the tag-out to get the run and extended the game to extra innings. Orem kept winning plays, but Desert Hills kept matching. A Tigers’ run in the top of the ninth was responded with a run from the Thunder. Despite the Thunders’ heroics, a two-run homerun from Orem’s Jaileigh DeMaria in the top of the 10 innings really felt like the end of it. However, Desert Hills somehow found a way to capitalize on back-to-back Orem errors and scored three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning for the win. Defensively, Lulu West led the way with 15 strikeouts. “I don't think that our girls' emotions get dictated by what another team does defensively that's amazing or offensively that's amazing,” Taylor said. “Lulu gave up a two-run home run, and we just turned around and got the next two outs. That’s from the seniority. They've done it before, they have taught that to the younger kids and they practice hard. They practice with a high intensity, and it showed today.”