by Mark Watson

SPORTS EDITOR

Grantsville is still alive in the 3A tournament after losing a nine-inning game and then winning a five-inning game both on Saturday. Wasatch edged the Cowboys 4-3 in the first game and then the Cowboys pounded region foe Ben Lomond 11-1.

The Cowboys will face Park City at 11 a.m. at Copper Hills High School in the consolation round on Thursday.

"We have a favorable draw playing against Park City, they're a five-seed from Region 10 and we're a third seed from our region. With a win we would face a four-seed in the next round. We feel good about our chances," said coach Loren Anderson.

One more loss would end the season for the Cowboys.

"We want to make it to Friday. It would be good experience for our young team," the coach said. To do that the Cowboys will need two wins on Thursday to stay alive in the double-elimination tourney.

Grantsville's Brandon Hamatake went the distance on the mound for the Cowboys in the nine-inning game against the Wasps. He scattered eight hits and only gave up two extra-base hits.

"He had a good day out there. We knew Brandon could keep us in the game," Anderson said.

Wasatch's Brock Carlson ripped a home run on the first pitch of the game, but Hamatake seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.

Grantsville's defense came up with some great plays which included two throws to the plate to tag out runners. The Cowboys, however, committed four errors in the game compared to Wasatch's three.

Down 1-0, Grantsville scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning. Kort Fonger started the inning with a single up the middle, followed by a single to right by Alex Childs. Austin Killpack laid down a perfect bunt to move the runners to second and third. The third baseman then booted a ground ball by Taylor Matthews allowing Fonger and Childs to score. Grantsville scored a third run on a sacrifice fly to right field by Kit Harris.

Childs made a big play in the fourth when he gunned down a runner at home plate after the Wasps had already scored one run to make it 3-2.

With one out in the sixth, Grantsville had runners at first and third. But Wasatch turned a double-play to thwart the Cowboys from scoring.

An error helped Wasatch get a runner on base in the sixth which was followed by an RBI double to tie the game at 3-3. With a runner on third base and only one out, Hamatake was able to get out of the inning without any more damage with a fly out and ground out.

Mark White smacked a two-out single in the seventh for the Cowboys and pinch runner Forest Stephenson reached third on an error. It appeared that Childs had beaten out a grounder which would have scored a fourth run, but the umpire called him out at first base.

Matthews reached second base in the eighth inning with one out, but his teammates could not advance him.

In the ninth, White pounded a triple with one out which caromed off the right field fence. But two ground outs ended the threat.

The Wasps ended it in their half of the ninth with a double to right field followed by a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third. With the runner on the move on a grounder and only one out, Grantsville just missed on the play at the plate.

"I was pleased with the way the kids played, we weren't perfect but we had our chances to win in that first game," Anderson said. "I liked our effort and the kids did what we told them to do and that's all you can ask."

GHS 11, Ben Lomond 1

Benji Cole pitched a two-hit game in five innings against the Scots. Six of Grantsville's 11 hits in the game were of the extra-base variety including an inside-the-park home run by Hutchins, two doubles from White, a double by Fonger, a double by Matthews and a triple by Childs.

mwatson@tooeletranscript.com