Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
OREM — The job of a leadoff hitter is to get on base, and Crimson Cliffs' Jayger Baldwin knows it.
An RBI or two is a bonus, then. So what about four?
Championship level.
Baldwin went 2-for-2 with two walks, a hit-by-pitch and four RBI as the Mustangs pulled away from Region 10 rival Snow Canyon 9-2 Friday night at UCCU Ballpark to move within one win over successfully defending its 4A state baseball title.
"He's just so locked in. It doesn't matter what happens; he's the most positive kid I've ever been around," Crimson Cliffs coach Justin Abbott said of Baldwin, while also praising his nine-hole hitter Parker Andrus. "Even if he hasn't done good, you can't tell. With Parker's at-bats, too, he got Jayger up to the plate — exactly what we wanted to do."
In a game that featured seven total hit batsmen and six walks, Crimson Cliffs never let the Warriors (23-6) get comfortable — a far-cry from the two 1-0 games the two played during the regular season.
The Mustangs (25-4) ran out to a 3-0 lead after Brexten Starley's third-inning solo shot followed up a pair of RBI singles by Ty Maynard and Baldwin an inning prior.
"All I want to do is just get on first base so that I can create opportunities for my teammates to get RBIs," Baldwin said. "That's my job."
Snow Canyon pulled two back in the bottom of the fourth, including Damon Ence's RBI double to pull within a run.
But Brecken Smith scored on a wild pitch, and Baldwin smacked a two-run single with the bases loaded before Maynard added another during a four-run fifth that helped the Mustangs pull away for good.
Suddenly, Crimson Cliffs slammed the door on the Comeback Kids from Santa Clara, lifting the Mustangs within a win of the program's second state title with a gem from starting pitcher Jaiven Ross, the Salt Lake Community College commit who gave up just three hits with five strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.
"That sounds really good," Baldwin said with a wide smile.
The Mustangs will be the home team Saturday at noon MT on the campus of Utah Valley University. If Snow Canyon wins, a third, winner-take-all contest will immediately follow at approximately 2:30 p.m.
