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Park City eliminated from playoffs by Salem Hills

Miners swept at home by Skyhawks

A memorable season for Park City baseball ended on a game the Miners would rather forget.

No. 6 Park City hosted No. 12 Salem Hills for a best-of-three series on Thursday and Friday, and the Miners dropped both games. Park City led 5-4 in the first game after three innings but couldn’t keep up down the stretch in an 8-5 loss. The Miners’ season ended the next day with an 18-1 loss on Friday in Game 2 that was called after five innings.

But there’s no denying that this season was a much-needed rebound for Park City’s baseball program after a difficult 9-19 season last year.



“I just told the kids I think we’ve turned the program back into a winning one,” Park City coach David Feasler said. “The season always ends, and there’s always tears on the last day, but it’s the memories that stick with you.”

For senior Wes Kirk, a winning season and a No. 6 seed in the state tournament was more than enough for him to close out his high school career on a high note.



“As a senior, I came into this knowing that this was my last year, I wanted to make it count,” Kirk said. “I feel like we definitely did that. We had a really fun time. This is a great group of guys, I like to consider them my brothers. They’re a lot of fun to play with. I had a lot of fun this year.”

With the Friday afternoon weather alternating between sunny and snowy, the writing was on the wall for the Miners’ season as the game got out of hand. Salem Hills’ bats were hot early and often, and the Skyhawks posted 10 runs in the first two innings combined. Feasler noted that improving the team’s pitching will be important heading into next season.

“We’ve got to get better on the mound,” he said. “We threw a lot of younger guys, a couple of freshman guys, couple of sophomore guys this year. And they just got to improve and get better. This is huge for them, learning what it’s like to pitch and in big region games.”

Park City will return plenty of talent for next year, especially its talented junior class. That group includes Braxton Lyon, who led the team in batting average and had a 3.50 earned run average on the mound, Paxton Mobley, who led the team in home runs, and Asher Levine, who has a solid bat and was a reliable closer for the Miners this year. But losing this year’s seniors will still hurt.

“We’re returning mostly everybody, except for the senior guys, who left a pretty big impact on the program,” Feasler said. “They all had good seasons for us and were great teammates. We’re going to miss them for sure, but I know they’ll be cheering us on.”

Senior Chance Baganz was another important player for Park City this year. Feasler called Baganz his “Game 1 guy” for region series, and the Miners will miss his presence on the mound and in the dugout. But Baganz sees big things ahead for Park City’s baseball program.

“I think they have a pretty bright future, especially next year,” Baganz said. “I think they’re going to do even better and have a good run at it and a shot at state.

“It goes by quick and enjoyed every moment. But yeah, it just goes by quick and now it’s over.”

 


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