Lady Devils stay alive in playoffs with win over Rockwell
by Jeff Richards
Contributing Writer
May 08, 2014 | 2200 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.”
Share This Article |

Copyright 2013 The Times-Independent. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

report abuse...

Express yourself:

We're glad to give readers a forum to express their points of view on issues important to this community. That forum is the “Letters to the Editor.” Letters to the editor may be submitted directly to The Times-Independent through this link and will be published in the print edition of the newspaper. All letters must be the original work of the letter writer – form letters will not be accepted. All letters must include the actual first and last name of the letter writer, the writer’s address, city and state and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Letters may not exceed 400 words in length, must be regarding issues of general interest to the community, and may not include personal attacks, offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or attacks on personal or religious beliefs. Letters should focus on a single issue. Letters that proselytize or focus on theological debates will not be published. During political campaigns, The Times-Independent will not publish letters supporting or opposing any local candidate. Thank you letters are generally not accepted for publication unless the letter has a public purpose. Thank you letters dealing with private matters that compliment or complain about a business or individual will not be published. Nor will letters listing the names of individuals and/or businesses that supported a cause or event. Thank you letters about good Samaritan acts will be considered at the discretion of the newspaper.