In their first game of the night, Bountiful played the Payson Lions. Payson jumped on the Braves early, scoring runs in the first and third innings. Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lions had a 4-0 lead on the tired Braves.
"Our patience paid off at the end," said Kelly Anderson, head coach for the Braves. "We got some hits going and were able to manufacture a couple of things, and then the seventh (inning) was the key."
In the seventh, the Braves' Heather Stucki knocked out a leadoff home run to tie the game up at four runs apiece. The Braves then managed to load the bases and win the game on a single.
"The lead-off home run really revived us, and got us going," Anderson said. "That (home run) gave us life."
A short 30 minutes later, the Braves were matched up against the Royals from Roy High School. The Braves come-from-behind victory required a tremendous amount of emotional energy and the Braves were physically drained.
"We were emotionally spent at the first," Anderson said. "We were not quite ready to play the second game, and that sometimes happens in these kind of tournaments."
The Royals had won their first game earlier in the day and consequently had more time (a few hours) to rest than the Braves.
"They were a little bit more mentally fresh," Anderson said. "I think that was a huge advantage."
Bountiful never fully recovered from that quick four-run start by the Royals and ended up losing the contest 5-2. The loss for the Braves was the second of the tournament and ended the season for Bountiful.
"One of our big things is not having any regrets," Anderson said. "We left everything we had out on the field. We don't have any 'what-ifs.' We played as hard as we couldÖwe gave effort, we had some kids step up. I was really proud of how they came to play, and what they brought to the table."
Anderson continued, saying he was proud of how his team responded to adversity.
"We could have easily folded up the tent after that big loss (to Springville) the night before," Anderson said. "This is a draining tournamentÖthe way it's set upÖespecially if you lose."
Despite the disappointing end to the season coach Anderson said that this is one of the best teams that he has coached in his 12 years at Bountiful High.
"This (team) ranks right up there as one of the best," Anderson said. "The future is bright hereÖa great bunch of kids are coming back (next season)."
This was Anderson's last season at Bountiful High. Next year, he will head to the new Syracuse High School, where he will teach and coach for the Bulldogs.
"I've been pretty fortunate 12 years to have some really outstanding kids who have played and come across this program," Anderson said. "When that final out was recorded, those 12 years hit me because I've kind of grown up here at Bountiful. It was bitter-sweet."
Anderson said that Braves catcher, Kim Weese, was by far the most valuable player for his team this year.
"She was our team leader and our kids looked to her; if they had something to say, they went to Kim," Anderson said. "She led us on the field, being the catcher, she runs the show back there. She was our leading hitterÖshe has a great arm, great attitude, and a kid who leaves everything on the field."
The program will be left in good hands when Anderson's sister and coach Butch Latey take over next season.
"(Latey) is one of the best coaches," Anderson said. "He got a million years of experience."
The Braves finished the season as Region 5 champions, with only one region loss. They ended with an 18-7 record overall.
thatch@davisclipper.com
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