High school baseball: Snow Canyon takes 1-0 series lead in 4A championship series

No. 2-seed Snow Canyon hung on to take a 1-0 in the 4A Championship Series against Region 9 rival and top-seeded Dixie on Friday night at SLCC. This game finished with a score of 4-2, the same score as Dixie’s last loss, a game that was also against Snow Canyon.

The Warriors quelled a red-hot Dixie offense that entered the game having scored 37 total runs in just three 4A state tournament games this week.

Snow Canyon head coach Reed Secrist gave an honest response when asked about his game plan to slow down Dixie. “I didn’t know. I know those kids and they’re all good hitters so I was like, ‘what do we do?’ Keep playing defense and doing what we’ve done all tournament.”

Game 2 is set for Saturday at noon, with Snow Canyon looking to complete the sweep, but Dixie hoping to force a decisive Game 3.

Snow Canyon started the game off with a double by leadoff hitter Makaio Swensen. He was brought in by shortstop Crew Secrist with a double of his own.

Swensen did exactly what every coach wants for their leadoff hitter and reached base every time he came up to bat. He walked three times to go along with his double.

“Huge leadoff guy for us, spark plug. Every time he gets on, we usually can get him around to score. I’m pretty happy with what he does out there for us,” said Secrist.

Snow Canyon added two more runs in the top of the third inning thanks to singles by No. 9 hitter Corbin Hafen, Secrist and catcher Hayden Smith. It was Secrist’s second RBI of the night.

Dixie answered back with a huge two-run shot by starting pitcher Braxton Yates, but those were they only runs it would score. That ended a run of six straight games scoring eight-plus runs for the Flyers.

Snow Canyon added an insurance run in the top of the sixth after a leadoff double by Talan Kelly and an RBI single by Ledger Shipp.

Snow Canyon starting pitcher Kyson Goates was phenomenal on the bump, he struck out five batters in five innings.“We didn’t really have a game plan, but Kyson Goates out on the mound and see what happens,” said coach Secrist.

That plan worked perfectly for Secrist as Goates allowed just two runs to the explosive Flyer offense.

Kelly would leave another mark on the game as he came in the top of the sixth inning to record the save. He struck out three of the six batters he faced.