This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Riverton • If any uncertainty existed about the toughness of Bingham softball pitcher Paige Reimann, it disappeared with a crack of the bat Wednesday.
Actually, it was two cracks when the ball snapped off the bat of Riverton standout Kyrae Kogianes in the sixth inning and then popped off Reimann's pitching hand.
Although Reimann did shake her hand a couple of times, the rest of her body language suggested business as usual and the Miners' hurler indeed went on to finish a 2-0 shutout at Riverton.
"It hurt a little bit, but it was kind of numb. I kind of ignored it," Reimann said. "It just fired me up."
The game was still scoreless at that point, as neither team found much hitting success against Reimann or Riverton pitcher Cortney Platt.
And, after Bingham's Shea Ibrahim walked to start the top of the seventh, it was Reimann who had a chance to break the line of goose eggs. But she exited in favor of Miners catcher Chelsea Latu after a soft pop to third for the first out.
"I popped out and I went to Chelsea and said, 'Hey, pick me up,' " Reimann said. "She said, 'I got you.' Next thing I know, it was over the fence."
Latu slammed a Platt offering over the left-center field fence, the only extra-base hit of the game for either squad, for a two-run homer.
In the bottom of the seventh, Reimann retired the Silverwolves to end the contest.
The game was in stark contrast to a match the week before at the same field, when Riverton (8-2) beat Taylorsville in an 12-3 game that featured five homers.
"These guys know each other. They know their strengths and weaknesses from summer ball," said Bingham coach Mikki Jackson, whose 8-1 team's only loss was to Taylorsville.
After the game, Riverton coach Emily Bateman agreed that the school's familiarity with each other helped lead to the close, energized contest.
"I think the big thing is that four of my six coaches played at Bingham. And Mikki was our coach, so it's always fun to play the team where you came from," Bateman said. "In all honesty, I just wanted a good game and that's what anyone who was here got."