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Taylorsville • It was deja vu with Lehi and Taylorsville on Thursday.
The two played in the 5A state championship game just one year ago, with Lehi grabbing the title.
But Taylorsville had to fight and claw its way into that contest after being relegated to the one-loss side of the bracket, by Lehi no less, in the double-elimination tournament.
Now, if the Warriors want to meet up with anybody in this year's 5A championship, they'll have to go on another run.
And, once again, it was the Pioneers that sent Taylorsville packing into the losers bracket with a 7-1 victory.
Junior Sydney White's pitching and one big blow from junior Stefani Zimmerman propelled Lehi a step closer to a repeat title.
"She [White] was solid for us today, just like she was when we played Syracuse on Tuesday," Lehi coach Tim Kennedy said. "She pitched all five games for us last year at the state tournament. We have other pitchers, but when you have someone on a roll, you gotta do what you gotta do."
Other than a couple of doubles from another Lehi junior, Emme Cluff, Lehi (23-8) built a 3-0 lead via three singles, a couple of walks and three Taylorsville errors.
But then Zimmerman launched an opposite-field grand slam that blew the game wide open.
"I was just looking to stay on top of the ball and help my team out. It was awesome; it felt so good," said Zimmerman, who had the bases-loaded opportunity after a walk, an error and a hit batter.
"Things didn't happen for us. Their grand slam was a great hit, but we had wind all day — then she hits it and it's totally peaceful," Taylorsville coach Rich Kaelin said. "It's one of those perfect storms.
"But they're a great team, and Syd is the best pitcher we've faced," he added. "She's fresh, she's throwing well and she kept us off balance."
The one run for Taylorsville (12-7) came when Yazmin Romo hit a solo homer off White in the seventh.
Thursday's contest, like the first playoff between Lehi and Taylorsville in 2014, was on the Warriors' home field in the second round. And, just like a year ago, T-ville came into the game as a No. 1 seed while Lehi was the third seed from its region.
After being bested by Lehi and sent to the brink of elimination in 2014, Taylorsville won four straight before meeting up with the Pioneers again.
Zimmerman minimized the importance of any kind of mental edge that Lehi might have over the Warriors, noting that the Pioneers have been working on their own issues.
"Since we had a little bit of a rough going this year, just now state is starting to feel good," the Lehi third baseman said. "We're coming together and playing as a team. We had it out to beat them, but we've got it out to beat everybody." —
Lehi 7, Taylorsville 1
R Sydney White pitches a complete game for the Pioneers, who play Tuesday night in a winners bracket semifinal.
• Lehi's Stefani Zimmerman blasts a grand slam in the fifth to push the lead up to 7-0.
• The two teams also played twice in last year's 5A state tournament, with Lehi winning both. -
5A scores and schedule
THURSDAY
Winners bracket
• Herriman 12, Bingham 2
• Fremont 10, West 0
• Lehi 7, Taylorsville 1
• Copper Hills 2, Riverton 0 One-loss bracket
• Davis 10, Cottonwood 0
• Syracuse 14, Jordan 9
• Alta 17, Pleasant Grove 5
• Hunter 16, Viewmont 1
• Snow Canyon 15, Desert Hills 11
FRIDAY
At Valley Complex Winners bracket
• Herriman vs. Fremont, 4:30 p.m.
• Lehi vs. Copper Hills, 6:45 p.m.
One-loss bracket
• Riverton vs. Hunter, noon
• Taylorsville vs. Alta, noon
• West vs. Syracuse, 2:15 p.m.
• Bingham vs. Davis, 2:15 p.m.