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Orem • Orem's Paxton Schultz trudged into the dugout, seemingly oblivious to the extended hands of encouragement from his teammates — not out of spite but rather because of intense focus.

Schultz felt ripped. He believed he pitched strike three. Instead the called ball allowed Box Elder's Bryant Tingey to uncork a two-run homer on the ensuing pitch in the top half of the first inning.

"That sort of rattled me," Schultz confessed.

The junior leader regained his composure and proceeded to throw six scoreless innings, striking out 11, to keep the Tigers' first Class 4A postseason appearance since 2008 alive with a 3-2 victory at Brent Brown Ballpark on Monday.

"That's been the biggest thing for Paxton. When I got here, everybody told me, 'Hey, he's got to control his emotions.' Since Day 1, since I've been here, he has dedicated himself on the field and off the field," said Orem coach Carl Hermansen. "That's what we talk about; bad things are going to happen, you've got to pitch out of them. That's what makes him a good pitcher."

Schultz retired 23 of the 27 batters he faced, scattering two hits, with three walks. He contributed at the plate, too. After the Tigers (18-9) pulled within one run in the second, his fielder's choice RBI knotted things at 2-2 in the third.

From there, the pace moved rapidly, with Box Elder (18-9) pitcher DJ Larsen matching Schultz' production with groundout after groundout after groundout. Larsen allowed seven hits, while striking out two batters in six innings.

Orem's Jake Herman finally broke the deadlock with his run-scoring single in the sixth inning, which was all the room Shultz needed to close out the Bees.

"Anytime we've got Paxton on the hill, he gives us a shot every single time," Hermansen. "He got touched up a couple times late, but he rezoned in, and pitched a great game today."

The Tigers advance to play Maple Mountain at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday at UVU in the one-loss bracket.

"We've got our hands full," Hermansen said of the Golden Eagles, who knocked off Sky View 4-0 on Monday. "They do everything well, but I love my team. They're playing hard, and they're going to stay in it every pitch. We'll come out and give them a fight."

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Orem 3,

Box Elder 2

• Paxton Schultz strikes out 11 batters to lead the Tigers after allowing home run in first inning.

• Schultz, Hayden Young, and Jake Herman record an RBI in the win.

• Bryant Tingey hits a two-run homer for the Bees in the loss.