Lady Devils stay alive in playoffs with win over Rockwell
by Jeff Richards
Contributing Writer
May 08, 2014 | 2076 views | 0 0 comments | 23 23 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The Grand County High School softball team made it into this week’s state tournament, thanks to a 21-1 win over Rockwell in a play-in game in Layton Monday, May 5.

Rockwell, a charter school located in Eagle Mountain, had beaten host school Layton Christian 21-7 earlier in the day to face Grand to see which team would go to state as a fourth-seeded entry in the bracket.

Sophomore pitcher Rhiannon Bohannon pitched the entire game for Grand, allowing just two hits while striking out eight batters. Offensively, Grand belted 14 hits, including a home run by Caitlin Pfnister and a triple by Kylie Haycock. The Lady Devils also had eight doubles and four singles, Valdes added.

With the play-in win, Grand advances to play in this week’s 2A state tournament in Spanish Fork. The Lady Devils first opponent will be Thursday, May 8 at 2 p.m. against Altamont, the No. 1 seed from Region 14. The winner of that contest will face the winner between Millard and Gunnison at 6 p.m. Thursday. The double-elimination state tournament continues on Friday and Saturday at the Spanish Fork Complex.

On May 2 and 3, the Lady Devils also took part in the 12th annual Swing for Life tournament, which is a fundraising event in the battle against breast cancer. Although Grand won all three of its Swing for Life games on Friday, the Lady Devils lost all three on Saturday. The tournament was held in Salt Lake City. Grand raised a total of $2,700 as a team for the event, according to GCHS head coach Brook Shumway.

In Grand’s first game Friday, the Lady Devils shut out the Hillcrest Huskies 10-0. Bohannon threw a two-hitter, striking out six. Pfnister belted a triple, and Haycock and Kennedi Patterson both had doubles.

Grand then defeated Rowland Hall 15-0. Bohannon was the starting pitcher, with freshman Rylee Pruitt coming in as a reliever in the third inning. The two pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter, with Bohannon recording four strikeouts. Pfnister hit a home run, and Haycock and Alena Geiser each hit a double.

The Lady Devils then defeated Kearns 3-1 for their third win on Friday. Bohannon went the distance with six strikeouts and scattering five hits. Grand recorded five successful bunts during the game, Valdes said.

Grand lost its first Swing for Life First game on Saturday to Union High by a score of 4-1. Bohannon gave up seven hits in taking the loss. “We had a few errors early in this game but were really starting to come back when the game was called for time,” Valdes noted, adding that Grand managed to hit eight singles.

In Saturday’s second game, Grand lost to Fremont 11-0. “This was the toughest game for us,” Valdes said, adding, “Rhi [Bohannon] was injured late in the Union game and pitched the next two games with a hurt foot.” The Lady Devils committed nine fielding errors and also struggled to hit the ball, managing just four hits, including a double by Pfnister.

In their final game on Saturday, the Lady Devils lost to Sky View, 12-2. Bohannon again pitched the entire game, walking five batters and allowing five hits. Grand managed to hit just two singles.

Coach Shumway said Tuesday he is optimistic about his team’s chances against Altamont in Thursday’s playoff game.

“We like our chances. I think we match up pretty well with them,” he said. “If we show up to play, we can play with anybody. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
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