Yes, the Juab softball team has beaten Manti.
    But that was long ago.
    So long ago that Juab coach Alley Gee can't recall the year it happened. Probably in the early 1990s, she said.
    That just makes it all the more extraordinary that, today in the semifinals of the winners' bracket of the Class 2A state tournament at Spanish Fork Softball Complex, the Wasps could derail the Templars' hopes of capturing a fourth consecutive state championship, if only momentarily, as this is a double-elimination tournament.
    "I think at this point, every game is going to be tough," Gee said. "It doesn't matter who you play, it's going to be tough. We're going to focus on the game, not the opponent."
    The Wasps were the unlucky ones in the first two state tournament games - as they had to face tough teams to get to this point, while the other state semifinal teams didn't have that tough of a time. Juab edged Richfield 8-6 in the first round, and then barely beat Parowan 4-3. And now, it has to play Manti.
    Of course, the Wasps won't go down easily, not with eight seniors on the roster.
    "I love the game. I've been in it for a long time," Gee said. "Every year, there's pressure because those kids work hard and you want to give them the best they can get. You want the best. If a better team beats us, then congrats."
    Gee
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will depend on two seniors for the most production - pitcher Amy Johnson and first baseman Jordan Gurney. Though the Wasps have never won a state championship, they hope to top their state runner-up finish in 2002 and their third-place showing in 2006.
    "We're just going to play hard and have fun," Gee said.
    csun@sltrib.com