Prep softball: Herriman rallies past Taylor..

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Taylorsville • The preseason serves as an opportunity to find the right combination of players and get ready for region and state.

That's why Herriman maybe learned a few things Tuesday with a 10-5 victory over Taylorsville.

The Mustangs found that they could see an early lead disappear, fall behind then rally late with two outs. They also discovered that some of their substitute players can come through when needed and that they can win when tired.

"We came back from a big, long tournament where we played a lot of games," said Herriman coach Heidi McKissick, whose club played over the weekend in Laughlin, Nev. "We had that confidence. And we put in a lot of subs who pulled through. They had awesome opportunities to come through."

The Mustangs struck early, getting two runs in the first and one in the second with April Visser and Crystal Kemp coming up with some key plays.

Then Taylorsville went to work. Maddy Ford singled in two runs in the bottom of the second then keyed a three-run rally in the fourth with a double.

That gave the Warriors a 5-3 lead.

"We are having a little issue with communication," Visser said. "Overall we have our team's back and we have each others' back. I could have done better, but my teammates picked me up."

Herriman's Libby Parkinson came on in relief in the fourth and recorded five strikeouts.

The Mustangs rallied to tie it in the top of the fifth when Leia Lopuaho singled.

But the big rally came in the top of the sixth with two outs. Herriman got two runs on an error then Shayna Alofipo hit her third home run of the season, a three-run shot. Parkinson did the rest, striking out the side in the bottom of the seventh.

"At that point, everyone was struggling to adjust to a slower pitcher and a slower pace," Alofipo said. "When I was in the box, I just tried to be patient and see the ball all the way through."

wharton@sltrib.com

Twitter @tribtomwharton —

Herriman 10, Taylorsville 5

• A three-run homer from Herriman's Shayna Alofipo caps a five-run, two-out rally in the sixth inning.

• Maddy Ford's hitting keeps Taylorsville close through most of the game.

• Libby Parkinson shows up strong in relief for the Mustangs.

Prep softball: Herriman rallies past Taylorsville after letting slip an early lead