The MHS Baseball team has had a full schedule as they begin winding up the 2023 season.  In one week, the team played five games, besting Soda Springs both at home and away, falling to the 3A number seven team in the state- Marsh Valley, and taking the win over Firth for their final home game of the season.  Despite a packed schedule that has made it difficult to get practices in to adapt or make corrections, the team continues to improve just as the post season games will begin.

 At Soda Springs, the Dragons blew away the Cardinals, scoring 19 runs to 1 in just five innings on Tuesday April 25.  Dax Maroney, first up to bat, scored in the opening of the game, getting walked on base, stealing second as Carter Blaisdell was up to bat, advancing to third on a passed ball, and then stealing home as Jaden Ward followed Blaisdell at the plate.  In the second inning, the team scored another four runs from Brycen Howe, Maroney, Ward, and Brady Showell.  The momentum behind the plate only improved in the third and fourth innings, with seven and six runs scored respectively.  Coach Bo Clark used the game as an opportunity to get multiple players shuffled through the batting lineup, getting 15 sluggers at the plate to hit. 

Ward led the team with batting attempts with five, earning two runs on two hits and batting in two additional runs.  Maroney led in total runs with three as well as with stolen bases, with two.  Cael Seamons and Ryan Jensen split time on the pitcher's mound.  Seamons allowed one hit and three walks over two innings, striking out three.  In three innings, Jensen had one run on two hits, with walks and seven strikeouts.

The Cardinals came to Malad to play again on Thursday, April 27.  Malad came out in the first inning again to take the lead, running away with it in the second inning as they counted up another eight runs.  Pitcher, TImmy Jensen led at opportunities to hit with four, scoring a run in the bottom of the second after getting on base with a hard ground ball to shortstop.  Maroney led the team in runs, tallying up two for the Dragons.

Jensen threw for Malad for the majority of the game, allowing two runs on five hits, walking only one batter and striking out eight over the course of five innings and 101 pitches.  Ryan Hubbard came in as relief pitcher for an inning, throwing four strikeouts, walking one batter while allowing zero hits on 30 pitches.

Saturday, April 29, the Dragons traveled to Marsh Valley, a top ranked team in the 3A standings for a double header.  In the opening game, both teams were tied with one run in the first inning.  Marsh Valley increased their run lead in the second inning as they scored three runs to Malad’s zero.  The Dragons put up just one more run in the third inning, losing 2-7 to the Eagles.  The team saw better luck behind the plate in their second game, Ward and Maroney managing multiple hits for Malad.  Gaiden Combs had a triple in the top of the sixth inning to bat in Ward who was waiting on second base.  Combs made it across home plate on the next play as Steston Higley singled to center field.

Maroney scored in the top of the seventh inning, to tie up the game at six runs a piece after a single to left field and being batted in by Ward on a ground ball to left field.  In the bottom of the inning, Marsh Valley managed to put a run over home plate to take the win at the last minute.  Coach Clark shared about the game, saying, “Marsh Valley is a really great team.  Even though we lost, we had a lot of great plays out there.  I’m really proud of this team.”

The Dragons played their final home game of the season on Monday, May 1 as they hosted the Firth Cougars who they had lost to by a single run the week before.  Before the umpire yelled, “Play ball!, the teams, coaches and fans honored the graduating seniors of the baseball team, including Jaden Ward, Stetson Higley, Gaiden Combs, Dax Maroney, Chase Briggs and Preston Ward.  The Dragons were slow to get their offense going, but picked up the pace in the fourth inning where they put three runs across home to take the lead, 3-1.  With the bases loaded, Higley was walked to first base on a count of four to one, sending Showell in for the first run of the game.  Combs and Briggs followed with runs as Firth’s pitcher walked two more Malad batters.

The Cougars answered with another two runs in the sixth inning to tie the score at three hits.  Malad’s defense managed to hold Firth scoreless in the top of the seventh inning.  Ward grabbed a pop fly in center field for the first out of the inning.  Pitcher Higley struck out the next Firth batter, getting three balls passed his swings.  Shortstop Maroney picked up a line hit outside second base and passed it over to Jensen at first to get three outs in three at bats in the final inning.

Maroney led the Dragons at bat in the final inning, hitting a single to right field before making it one base at first.  Maroney stole second after the first pitch to Blaisdell at bat.  As Blaisdell hit a fly ball to right field for the first out, Maroney tagged up and advanced to third base.  Put the ball in play on a line drive hit to left field on his second pitch to bat Maroney in and win the game, 4-3.

The Dragon baseball team will play Bear Lake in Bear Lake for their final game of the regular season.  The game will help determine the seeding of the 2A district tournament that will be held May 8 and 9.