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OREM — Lehi baseball won state for the first time in school history after they defeated Olympus in two games of a best-of-three series. Both victories came by a single run, with Lehi claiming victory in Friday's game 10-9 and Saturday's game 4-3.
Game 2 went into extra innings after the seventh inning ended with the teams tied 3-3. The Pioneers started off the bottom of the ninth with their backs to the wall after Olympus second baseman Tanner Jenkins made a double play to nab the first two outs. Jaxon Christensen, who hit a home run earlier in the game, stepped up to the plate and was hit by a pitch.
With a runner on base, all of the pressure was on Zach Evans at bat. Evans did exactly that when he sent a ground ball right past the pitcher and past Jenkins. Christensen, who had stolen second, rounded third and then dashed home for the walk-off win.
"I'm speechless," Evans said after the game. "We were all calm, we were ready to fight back. I was trying to put something up the middle, and that's what happened."
It was a defensive game on Saturday, with both teams pitching well and minimizing errors. Olympus was on the board first, but not until the third inning when Luke Affleck hit a line drive over third base to bring Ashton Johnson home.
Lehi responded in their next at-bat when McGuire Madsen tagged up at third on a fly to center field, then sprinted towards home plate to tie the game 1-1. The Pioneers scored again in the bottom of the fourth inning when Christensen hit a home run that also brought home Boston Bingham, who was on base after hitting a double.
Give it up for @lehihighbaseba1, your 2022 @MountainAmerica 5A baseball champion! ⚾
— UHSAA (@UHSAAinfo) May 28, 2022
📸: @cesparza55pic.twitter.com/sIZPfnBTpJ
After the home run, the game turned back into a defensive outing, with both teams going three up, three down in the fifth and sixth innings. Heading into the final inning of regulation with a two-run lead, Lehi head coach Jason Ingersoll didn't think Olympus could tie up the game.
"Going into the top of the seventh, up two, I was like, 'They're not getting two hits on Maddog (pitcher Maddux Madsen)," Ingersoll said. "But they're scrappy."
For Ingersoll, though, it had been a long time coming. After nine seasons into his coaching career, he knew one thing was certain: Winning is not easy.
"Nobody knows how hard it is to win," Ingersoll said as he choked back tears. "Especially for us, it's hard. Our coaches put a lot of time into this stuff and I'm proud of them. Nobody knows unless they've been in our shoes; it's hard."
