Baseball: Devils sweep Springville, earn playoff berth

Mortimer Jordan secured a playoff spot in Class 5A Area 11 with a sweep of two games with Springville, both in extra innings.

Relief pitcher Skylar Myrick helped his own cause when he beat out a throw to the plate on a Nathan McIntosh fly ball to center field, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the eighth as the Devils defeated the visiting Tigers 6-5 on Tuesday.

The Tigers got out to an early 5-1 lead, knocking Jordan starter James Stewart out of the game after 11/3 innings. Myrick (4-1) came on in relief and went the rest of the way, allowing just one hit over 62/3 innings while striking out six.

Clint Brown was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and Ryan Densmore went 2-for-2 for the Devils.

On Thursday at Springville, Austin Nabors drove in two runs in the top of the eighth to break a 3-3 tie, then Ryan Densmore (4-1) held the Tigers at bay in the bottom of the inning for a 5-3 victory.

The Devils and Tigers played six scoreless innings as Jordan starter Dylan Matthews cruised, giving up only three hits and fanning seven over six innings.

But after Jordan finally broke through with three runs in the top of the seventh, Springville answered by lighting up reliever Jesse Stewart for three runs on a hit and two walks.

Densmore came in with the bases loaded, and the Tigers brought in two runs on a double, but Densmore held firm the rest of the way.

The Devils (15-10, 5-0 area) scored in the seventh as Jamey Hammock came home on an error. James Stewart sent home Taylor williams with a sacrifice fly, and James Stewart singled in Jake Grooms.

In a second game Thursday that did not count toward area standings, the Tigers came back from three runs down with a seventh-inning rally that ended with a Glen Breeze two-run walk-off double, as Springville scored a 7-6 win.

Jordan had broken a 3-3 tie in their half of the seventh on run-scoring singles by Nabors and Clint Brown. A third run scored on a passed ball.

Brown was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. and McIntosh also drove in two runs.Lee Smith (2-2) was tagged with the loss.

Robert Carter