Clinching a spot in state Falcon League tournament play, the Moab Laundry Express Yankees beat the Perpetual Images Pirates on Monday, June 28, by the score of 9-5. The win came at the bottom of the second inning, when time ran out. According to Utah Girls Softball Association rules, Falcon League games last six innings or one hour, whichever comes first.

The win brings the Yankees season record to an impressive 7-4-1 as the team heads into state play as a number-one seed, according to John Geiger, program director of Moab City Recreation.

A loss for the Yankees would have sent the Canyonlands Jeep Adventures Cardinals to the state tournament. The Cardinals also had a 7-4-1 record, but the Yankees had a better winning record in play between the two teams, officials said.

The Pirates started off the game with Baelie Pierce pitching. Pierce struck out two in a row to end the Pirates’ field play in the first inning. But she gave up three runs to the Yankees. Pirates player Brittney Keogh also caught a hit ball that inning for the first out.

Four of the Pirates five runs were earned in the bottom of the first inning. Yankee’s pitcher Veda Gritts had three strikeouts, but she walked in two runs over nine at-bats. Pirates player Jaimie Lammert hit a two-run RBI to bring in the other two runs.

Keogh, pitching for the Pirates at the top of the second inning, walked in the tying run for the Yankees to bring the game to a score of 4-4. Pierce returned to pitch after the tying run scored, giving up five runs to the Yankees in the top of the second inning. After walking in another run, Pierce beat a runner to home plate for the out.

The second inning was a rallying point for the Yankees, and they really pulled ahead. After having two runs walked in, the Yankees’ Morgan Hackney batted in a runner on a single to bring the score to 6-4. With the bases loaded, Isabella Walters hit a triple for the Yankees, bringing the score to 9-4. The inning ended after the play, because the league’s six-run “mercy” rule was invoked. According to that rule, a Falcon League team may score no more than six runs in one inning during the first two innings of play. If six runs are scored, that team’s at-bat play is ended for the inning.

The Yankee’s held on to their significant lead during the bottom of the fourth inning. Pitcher Madison Shumway only gave up one run – when a Pirates’ batter drove in a runner while the batter was tagged out at first base.

The last out of the inning brought cheers from the Yankees’ players and coaches, as realization of the win began to sink in. If the team lost the game, their record would have been beaten by the Canyonlands Jeep Cardinals, and the Yankees would not have gone to state play.

“We’re a little nervous but very excited,” Mason said of the looming state tournament. “It’s a whole new world at state.”

Mason said she and her team experienced strong competition from the other teams in the league.

“We had a very exciting, fun year – one of the best so far!” she said.

The UGSA State Tournament begins the week of July 5. The Falcon League games will be played July 6-8 in Salem, Utah.