High school baseball: Crimson Cliffs, Snow Canyon earn wins in 4A tournament
Desert Hills and Crimson Cliffs compete in the 4A state tournament at Kearns High School on Wednesday, May 13 | McCade Pearson Crimson Cliffs 11, Bear River 4 After dispatching Bear River 11-4 in the morning session, Crimson Cliffs got a second look at No. 2 seed Desert Hills in the semifinals and made the most of it. The Mustangs started slowly, with starter Rica Navarro surrendering four runs in the first two innings to put Crimson Cliffs in an early hole.
But the offense responded immediately, clawing back two runs before Navarro steadied himself with a crisp nine-pitch, three-up-three-down frame to hand the lineup a short turnaround. The Mustangs seized the moment. Jack Boyer dropped a perfect bunt down the first base line, igniting a rally capped by back-to-back shots off the left field wall from Sam Chappell and Navarro himself, knotting the game at four.
Rayce Bennett followed with a single to plate the go-ahead run, and Crimson Cliffs never looked back. Navarro came back out and dispatched Desert Hills in order again, giving the offense the green light for an eight-run fourth inning that left the mercy-rule runner stranded 90 feet from home. Desert Hills made a late push to trim the deficit, but the damage was done.
Navarro, who finished as both the offensive and pitching hero for the Mustangs, reflected on the mentality that fueled the comeback. “I mean, just trusting on my guys, you know, confident, confident in the dugout and confident the lineup, we’re gonna get it done still,” he said. The senior credited the coaching staff for keeping the energy alive between innings.
“Our coach is talking a lot about keeping momentum going. Just get back in the dugout and keep heading and just score more. ” The Mustangs put the finishing touches on it in storybook fashion.
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