High school softball: Thursday’s 4A recap, Bear River and Desert Hills set up championship rematch

Bear River's Paycie Richards (8) takes a moment to herself as she huddles with her teammates before playing Dixie during bracket play in the 4A softball state tournament, held at the Spanish Fork Sports Park on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News 4A semifinals Bear River 12, Deseret Peak 2 Defending 4A softball champion Bear River dominated its way back into the championship series. The Bears got a mercy-rule victory in every game during their bracket, including a 12-2 rout of Deseret Peak in the semifinals Thursday.

The secret sauce to the Bears’ success, according to head coach Jordan Theurer, is their depth. “I feel like the last three games in bracket play, it’s been a different kid to step up in different moments,” said Theurer. “It’s huge when you have one through nine (in the lineup) that can step up when it needs to or when they need to.

“That’s a huge momentum swing, but I felt like we made plays on defense that were really the momentum swingers in that game. ” The semifinal started slowly for Bear River after the Golden Eagles earned a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Deseret Peak held onto the lead for a while, but as it always does, Bear River broke away.

It started with a three-run third inning for the Bears, and then the dam fully broke with a seven-run sixth inning to get the 12-2 mercy-rule win. Bear River had 13 base hits across nine different players, with seven of them recording at least one RBI. Bri Gardiner , Kate Wilson and Marley Tisdol all led with two RBIs each.