BEAR RIVER HIGH - By Tate Atkin, Headliner Sports Editor, May 16, 2022.
The Bear River High baseball team had home field advantage when they hosted Sky View High in the "super regional" round of the 2022 4A baseball state championship tournament on May 12-13. This best-of-three series would determine who advances to the next round and who would see their season come to an end. With the Bears at home against a familiar region foe, they had no troubles getting past the Bobcats and extending their season moving on to the next round.
In addition to the Bears' victory in the first round of the state tournament, they were also well-represented in Utah High School Activities Association's All-Region 1st Team. Cousins Ashton Harrow and Hunter Harrow (both seniors) were both named MVP as co-recipients for Region 11 and 1st Team All-Region.
Also named 1st Team All-Region from Bear River High include seniors Alec Callister, Garrison Marble and Hunter Smoot along with sophomore Gehrig Marble. Bear River High's head baseball coach Don Hawes was named Region 11 Coach of the Year.
The first game on May 12, had the Bears coming out hot scoring three runs in the first inning. With Ashton Harrow pitching, everyone knew the game was out of reach at that point for the Bobcats and the Bears would secure the first win of the playoffs. Harrow pitched five innings allowing four hits and just two runs, striking out seven.
The three first inning runs were enough for the victory but that didn't stop the Bears from scoring. They also scored four runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and added another two in the sixth. When the final pitch was thrown, the Bears secured a 12-2 victory.
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Harrow didn't stop at just pitching a great game, he also dominated from the plate. He led the team in hits and RBIs. Harrow went 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs a home run. Garrison Marble also had another great day at the plate going 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI while Ryker Jeppsen and Hunter Harrow both hit triples for the Bears.
Catch the Bear River vs. Sky View game from May 12, courtesy of Bear River Live, on the link below.
After the dominated performance, the Bears needed to beat Sky View one more time to advance to the next round. The Bears met up with the Bobcats one last time on May 13, the final home game of the season, with the Bears again putting on a show.
They secured another victory by a score of 11-1, with pitchers Hunter Harrow and Degan Rigby controlling the mound. Gehrig Marble came up big plate for the Bears going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a double and a triple. Talon Marble, a sophomore and starting 2nd baseman for the Bears, went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a double and Jhet Roche and Alec Callister both went 2-for-3.
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Re-watch the Bears take on Sky View from May 13, courtesy of Bear River Live, on the link below.
With the two victories over Sky View, the Bears advance to the next round of the playoffs. They will travel to Dixie State University in St. George to compete in the Bracket Play portion of the tournament. Their first match up is against Snow Canyon High on Monday, May 16, at 11 a.m. The next round will be played May 17-19, with the 4A state baseball finals to be held May 20-21. All games will be played in St. George.
Bear River vs. Sky View, May 12-13, 2022
Photos by John Fronk
