This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Taylorsville • Murray pitcher Elise Johnson had started out messy. The 11-1 hurler had played poorly enough to get yanked in the first inning when West Jordan started piling up runs on her.
But as fellow ace Braylee Butcher tired in the seventh inning and loaded the bases, coach Lisa Parker decided Johnson was the one to finish the job.
"I knew she could do it — she's been such a trooper for us this year," Parker said. "She came in and was rock solid."
Johnson managed to hold the Spartans' lead, giving Murray an 11-9 first-round escape over West Jordan in the Class 5A playoffs on a rainy day at Salt Lake Community College. It was the only softball game played in the state after others canceled due to rain.
That didn't make conditions at SLCC good: It was a muddy, soggy battle of the bats between the two teams.
"It was ugly, that's for sure," Parker said. "Our game all year has been pitching and base-running, but that was pretty much out."
And at times, No. 1-seeded Murray seemed to almost give the game away to a fiery Jaguars squad. They came out hot, hitting Johnson off the mound with five runs before Butcher came in and ended the rally with two strikeouts. West Jordan threatened even into the final inning of the game, scoring three runs and loading the bases several times.
But in between the Jaguars' bookend rallies, Murray bashed the ball against pitcher Bree Ordiway. The Spartans' lineup hit five doubles during a 6-run second inning to reclaim the lead, then gradually built it up.
One big lift came from Alyssa Strobein, who started the second-inning rally and hit her first career home run in the fourth. It came as such a surprise, she had settled on second base before Parker enthusiastically gestured at her to keep going around the bags.
"I'm a singles hitter — I don't get extra bases much," Strobein said. "I felt how soft it came off the bat, but I didn't realize how far it was going."
The game frequently stopped as coaches and groundskeeping officials added fresh dirt to the mound, the basepaths and the miserable sections of the field. Despite the weather and taking the loss, West Jordan enjoyed its first playoff game since 2006.
"I'm just glad we got it in," coach Kody Byrd said. "I thought our girls played extremely well under the conditions, and we left it all out on the field. We know we're a good team."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Murray avoids first-round upset
• Braylee Butcher pitches six innings in relief for the win after starter Elise Johnson struggles.
• The Spartans load up for 11 runs on 12 hits in the game.
• West Jordan puts up a late rally, including home runs by Bree Ordiway and Marki Ashton.