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Orem • Pleasant Grove had just beaten Spanish Fork by 14 runs, and that was only the beginning of the Dons' brutal preseason. Projected to contend for the Class 4A baseball title, its had no business sitting at 1-6 overall.

The Dons never lost faith in coach Casey Nelson's vision, despite the early struggles, and sticking with the plan paid off Thursday evening when senior Ryan Golish ripped a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh to beat Salem Hills 7-6 at Brent Brown Ballpark and punch the team's ticket to Friday's championship series.

"We have a team saying called, 'Saddle Up' — trust your coaches, what they do is right," Golish said. "You get on their back, saddle up and trust them. The horse will tell you how it feels."

Trailing Salem Hills by one run in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the bases loaded and no outs, Golish confidently bobbed his head after fouling off pitch after pitch, each time peering in the direction of Nelson on the third baseline.

He trusted the plan. And with the count full, he delivered.

"There was a time in the game where I don't think Ryan was playing very confident," Nelson said. "But I have a lot of confidence in Ryan. That was a big-time at-bat."

Spanish Fork (14-12) continued to overcome its shortcomings, as three errors spoiled an early 3-0 lead.

"I don't like the mistakes we make on defense, but somehow we fight through them," Nelson said. "Honestly, we've done that all year. That's been our Achilles' heel."

Lakota Centeno's two-run blast, paired with a passed ball and Tanner Hamblin's two-run double, pushed Salem Hills ahead, 5-3, in the second inning. The Dons evened up in the fifth inning on Matt Creer's double and Devin Argyle's single, but the Skyhawks (25-4) immediately answered, once again, on Cooper Smith's RBI single in the sixth.

It was time to saddle up.

After Riley Daniels (HBP) and Nic Roberts (walk) reached safely, Argyle feathered a bunt-single down the third baseline, setting up Golish against Salem Hills pitcher Easton Tallon.

"I played with Easton my whole life, since I was 9 years old," Golish said. "He's a great kid, I love him to death, but I knew exactly what was coming. He kept throwing me the same pitch, and every time, I'd foul it off, just missing it."

Golish saw the outside fastball and blasted it to the right-field warning track.

"I knew it was coming," Golish said, smiling.

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Spanish Fork 7, Salem Hills 6

R Spanish Fork's Ryan Golish hits a game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning.

• Matt Creer finishes 2 for 3 with three RBIs in the win.

• Lakota Centeno hits a two-run homer in the loss for Salem Hills. —

4A baseball schedule

At Brent Brown Ballpark, Orem

THURSDAY

Winners' bracket

• Spanish Fork 7, Salem Hills 6

One-loss bracket

• Maple Mountain 15, Salem Hills 6

FRIDAY

Championship

• Spanish Fork vs. Maple Mountain, 1:30 p.m.

(Game 2, if necessary, either 20 minutes after conclusion of Game 1, or 8 p.m.)