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West Valley City • It wasn't exactly the kind of hit that someone lingers to admire after it leaves the bat.

Be that as it may, Herriman's Lauren Tycksen doesn't seem like the kind to bask in her own swing, regardless of result. In the top of the sixth inning Thursday, Tycksen lofted a ball to left and took off in a sprint to first. Still at top speed, the Mustang junior barreled to second and only looked up to see what happened after a head-first slide.

That loping hit from Tycksen had barely landed inside the left-field line, and she started the winning rally in a 7-6 game over Copper Hills that sends Herriman into its first Class 5A state championship softball game. The Mustangs will play Lehi at 10 a.m. Friday at Valley Complex in West Valley City.

"Finally, I got a double. That was good," said Tycksen, who was driven home on an RBI single from Bryce Taylor for a 6-5 lead in the sixth.

Taylor then scored on a single to center from Mikaela Thomson.

The two teams in the winners-bracket championship had played once earlier in the regular season. But this was a far cry from that 2-1 Copper Hills victory at a tournament in Tooele.

"No one hit in that game, but everyone did in this one," Tycksen said. "Beating Copper Hills for the first time really gives us confidence."

"It's a big deal. It's the fifth year our school has been around," Herriman coach Heidi McKissick said. "We want to earn the respect of schools like Bingham, Taylorsville — traditional [winning] schools. It's time."

Copper Hills (21-10) got the first lead in the back-and-forth game when Tabi Atwood drove in two with a single in the second.

Herriman (26-4) immediately rebounded to tie at 2-2 with RBI singles from Brittney Wood and Thomson in the third.

The same kind of sequence happened, in reverse, in the fifth.

The Mustangs pulled ahead as Thomson, who finished 4 for 4 at the plate, found the grass in center as two runs scored. Thomson would also cross home for a 5-2 lead on a groundout.

This time, it was Copper Hills who struck back in a hurry. In the bottom of the fifth, consecutive singles from Kylie Jones, Kiera Siddoway and Atwood brought the game back to deadlock.

Even after Herriman scored two in the sixth, the comebacks weren't entirely over. Copper Hills got one back in the bottom of the frame to pull within one.

But Taylor, Herriman's pitcher, stranded runners at second and third to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, Copper Hills' last chance, Taylor allowed one hit before retiring the last two batters. As what seems to be the norm for Taylor, the Mustang junior gave up hits in every inning but battled through for the win.

"It kind of pumps me up. I like the competition and getting into those situations. It helps me focus more," Taylor said. "I know my team is there to back me up, and that narrows my focus, too." —

Herriman 7, Copper Hills 6

R Herriman's Lauren Tycksen kicks off a two-run rally in the sixth with a double to put the Mustangs ahead for good.

• The winners-bracket championship produces 23 hits.

• Herriman moves into the Class 5A title game on Friday. If the Mustangs lose that first contest, they'll have another opportunity for the school's first state championship in an ensuing game. —

5A softball schedule

At Valley Softball Complex, West Valley City

THURSDAY

Winners' bracket

• Herriman 7, Copper Hills 6

One-loss bracket

• Riverton 6, Fremont 5

• Lehi 6, Davis 3

• Lehi 9, Riverton 0

• Lehi 9, Copper Hills 8 (8 innings)

FRIDAY

Championship

• Herriman vs. Lehi, 10 a.m.

(Game 2, if necessary, will take place 15 minutes after conclusion of Game 1)