Monday’s 4A baseball bracket delivered all the drama you’d expect from playoff baseball at Kearns High School, with Desert Hills and Bear River each engineering impressive comeback victories. Here’s how the action unfolded on the diamond.
Bear River’s 9-5 win over Timpanogos was a tale of two halves—and a sweet dose of revenge. The Bears had fallen 12-4 to the Timberwolves earlier this season, but they flipped the script when it mattered most.
“They’re a very, very well-coached team,” said Bear River coach Donald Hawes. “Coach (Kim) Nelson is one of the best coaches in the state. We have a lot of respect for what they do. I think we made a few more plays today than they did, and had a couple of big hits.”
Timpanogos struck first, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-RBI single from Andrew Allphin. But Bear River answered in a big way during the third. A flurry of base hits and a sacrifice run tied the game, and then Chipper Hawes launched a home run to plate two more. Stephen Starnes capped the five-run inning with an RBI single, giving the Bears a 5-3 lead.
“We made some adjustments,” Hawes explained. “We faced (Timpanogos pitcher Canyon) Clegg earlier this year, and he did really well against us. Our boys just said, ‘Hey, coach, we’d like one more time at him.’ We thought we did a really good job making those adjustments.”
Timpanogos fought back, with Cooper Hawkes crushing a two-run homer to tighten the score. But Bear River’s defense locked down from there. Starnes pitched five strong innings, racking up 10 strikeouts, before Garrison Davis took over on the mound. Davis, who recently returned from a broken leg, shut the door completely—allowing no hits and striking out two in relief.
“Really happy to have him back,” Hawes said. “We just got him back here about two weeks ago, and he’s been a big part of our rotation the last two years, especially at the back end of the games. It’s just really good to have a guy back there that you trust and can say, ‘Hey, I’m going to give you the ball. Go have some fun.’”
Bear River added an insurance run in the seventh to seal the 9-5 win and advance in the bracket. With momentum on their side and a bullpen arm like Davis returning to form, this Bears team is one to watch as the tournament rolls on. Stay tuned for more updates from Monday’s action.