5A baseball: Bingham rallies from huge deficit to top Lone Peak

By Tom Wharton Special to The Tribune

First Published May 22 2017 11:27PM    •    Last Updated May 22 2017 11:40 pm

Kearns • It is somehow appropriate that the hero of Bingham’s improbable 14-13 come-from-behind victory over Lone Peak on Monday night in the Class 5A baseball state tournament is named Copper Hansen.

After all, the school gets its name from a mine that produces copper in Bingham Canyon.

Hansen’s grand slam in the top of the fifth gave the Miners hope, and his bases-clearing three-run double in the top of the seventh gave Bingham its only lead.

This battle between the Region 3 and 4 champions did not get off to a promising start for the Miners.

Facing perhaps the state’s top pitching prospect in Lone Peak’s Seth Corry, the Miners struggled in the field, allowing the Knights to score seven runs on just three hits.

When Eli Norman’s three-run homer over the right-center field wall gave Lone Peak an 11-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth, this one appeared to be over.

But nobody told Bingham, which used some Miner magic for the surprising win.

As a result, the Miners will play Cottonwood in the winner’s bracket at 11 a.m. Wednesday at UVU. Lone Peak will face West Jordan at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kearns in an elimination game.

The two teams ended up using a combined 12 pitchers.

After Bingham tied it with five runs in the top of the sixth, Lone Peak rallied for a 13-11 lead with two runs the bottom of the inning. Norman delivered the big hit, a double, then scored.

But the Miners refused to die.

They loaded the bases again for Hansen, a switch hitter, who responded with a bases-clearing double that provided the winning margin.

Bingham finally captured the win when reliever Peyton Johnston put down the Knights in order, giving veteran coach Joe Sato what had to be one of his most memorable victories in a distinguished career.

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