It's tough to play baseball in the postseason when you're the hands-down favorite to capture a state title.
    It's even more difficult when you don't throw your ace in the first round, which, by the way, is a lose-and-out scenario.
    But that never bothered Juab, and it didn't stop Wasps coach Tony Sperry from saving Tyson Lynn for the second round and gambling that Dustin Peterson could hold things down against Milford.
    The strategy couldn't have worked out any better than it did.
    Peterson, a senior, allowed just one hit, shutting down the Milford lineup. With the bat in his hands, he connected on a two-run homer, hit a double and collected three RBIs as Juab defeated the Tigers 11-1 on Saturday morning.
    That cleared the way for the afternoon's second round game against Kanab, which ended in a 4-1 win, mainly because Lynn, a towering 6-foot-5 lefty, threw a complete game five-hitter while Jordan Bainger had two RBIs.
    It adds up to a Thursday date in the Class 2A quarterfinals for Juab, where the Bees will match up against Richfield at 11 a.m., a team that went on the road and defeated Beaver 8-3 on Saturday.
    "I was happy with our pitching and defense and I thought we played well overall," Sperry said. "Tyson Lynn's our ace and we've really pitched well this season because we have two guys that can throw effectively.
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I thought we were a little off in the second game. We had our chances to score more runs, but we didn't capitalize."
    "It was a coaching decision to save Tyson. Both pitchers have been solid and I thought that saving Tyson for the second game would've given us a better chance to go deeper into the tournament. It worked because Dustin had a great game and he got us off to a great start against Milford. In the second game he hit a double, and it was the only extra base hit of the game."
   
    Saturday shockers
   
    The most surprising development of Saturday's first and second rounds had to be the performance of South Sevier, which scored two huge upsets, first defeating Parowan 8-6 after rallying from a 5-3 deficit with five runs in the top of the fourth inning. Then, South Sevier pulled off an even more stunning shocker, defeating second-seeded American Leadership 8-1. South Sevier, who came into the tournament with just nine wins, benefited from a gutsy performance by Nathan Roberts.
    A pitcher, Roberts recorded a save in the first game by tossing a scoreless seventh inning. Then he turned around against ALA and threw a complete game, where he allowed just six hits. South Sevier scored five runs in the top of the first inning and never allowed American leadership to mount a serious threat. As a result, South Sevier is in the state semifinals as the only team with a sub-.500 record.
    tjones@sltrib.com