5A softball: Cullimore delivers at plate, in circle to lead Davis past Lehi

Kaysville • Good hitters are valuable, but good pitchers are vital in the postseason.

The Davis softball team improved to 2-0 in the Class 5A state tournament Thursday afternoon thanks in large part to junior Mia Cullimore proving she's pretty darn good at both in a 10-6 win over Lehi.

Cullimore, who finished 2 for 3 with three RBIs in addition to eight strikeouts in a complete-game performance in the circle, retired six straight Lehi batters and drove in three runs in the opening two innings to help the Darts grab a 6-0 lead.

"I was just focusing on throwing hard, getting them to hit ground balls, and I knew my defense had my back as long as I was giving it 100 percent," Cullimore said. "At the plate, I was just trying to back myself up on offense. If I'm going to allow runs, I might as well help my team out and get us some runs as well."

Davis sophomore Paige Elkins hammered the first long ball of the day with a towering two-run shot over the center-field fence to put the Darts on top 8-0 in the third inning.

"Sometimes you won't have a game that solid defensively, like in my case today," Elkins said. "I just told myself that I've got to pick myself up offensively and pick up the team and do my job in the batter's box. That's all I was thinking about — executing and bringing my runners in. When it went over the fence, it felt great."

Davis added another run via a solo homer in the fourth when Abbie O'Brien's drive bounced off and over the top of the fence, but the 9-0 lead started evaporating in the fifth.

After a single and a walk put two Pioneers on base in the fifth, junior Shay Swenson put another ball over the center-field fence to get her team on the board. Lehi scored again in the fifth, thanks to an RBI double from Kayla Roberts, but Lexi Butterfield was tagged out at home trying to score on the play.

"It's hard when they come back like that," Elkins said about Lehi's four-run inning. "We always have to have trust in our teammates. The energy has to stay up, and you have to forget about what's going on. You just have to put the last play behind you and focus on the next batter."

The Darts added an insurance run in the sixth when Madi Curtis scored from second on a wild pitch.

The Pioneers didn't go down without a fight. Savannah Heaton's two-run homer cut Lehi's deficit to 10-6, but Cullimore coaxed two ground outs to deliver the Darts into Tuesday's state semifinal against Copper Hills. —

Davis 10, Lehi 6

• Mia Cullimore strikes out eight batters and drives in her three runs at the plate for the Darts.

• Abbie O'Brien hits her fifth home run of the season in the win.

• Davis will face Copper Hills in the semifinals.

Class 5A state tournament

Thursday's second-round scores

Copper Hills 10, Fremont 9

Davis 10, Lehi 6

West at Herriman

Syracuse 1, Bingham 0

Tuesday's schedule

at Valley Softball Complex

Quarterfinals

3:30 p.m. • Copper Hills vs. Davis

5:45 p.m. • (West vs. Herriman winner) vs. Syracuse

Elimination bracket

11 a.m. • Bingham vs. Layton

11 a.m. • (West vs. Herriman loser) vs. Taylorsville

1:15 p.m. • Lehi vs. (Roy vs. West Jordan winner)

1:15 p.m. • Fremont vs. Clearfield