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Kaysville • Twenty-nine wins in one season would be a successful campaign for any softball team.

For Spanish Fork, however, it wasn't enough.

The Dons captured their second straight 4A championship on Thursday evening with a 5-2 win over Maple Mountain to conclude the year 30-3.

"Our goal this season was to only have three losses after we lost to Lehi [April 22], and everyone came through to do it," said senior Taylor Miller, who went 3-for-3 in the win.

In a rematch of last year's championship, junior pitcher Cambrie Hazel turned in a complete-game three-hitter and was supported by a near-flawless defensive performance behind her to go with timely hitting.

"You can't strike them all out," Spanish Fork coach Don Andrews said. "Eventually you have to count on your defense."

The Dons got on the board in the bottom of the first inning, when Miller drove in senior Cheyanne Dowley. They went up 2-0 in the next inning after Dowley's single scored sophomore Brooke Carter.

Maple Mountain sophomore Mickie Mills tied the score with a two-run homer in the third, but Spanish Fork responded its next time at bat.

Following a single from sophomore Gabby Beckstrom and ground-rule double by Miller, sophomore Mallory Barber laced a double down the third-base line to put the Dons back in front. Carter then singled to bring Barber in.

"They responded very well — a lot better than I did," Andrews said. "That was probably the biggest moment, because if you sit on a tie or a small lead you don't know what's going to happen."

Hazel said Mills' game-tying home run helped her focus, and she had surrendered only the one hit up until the seventh inning, when the first two batters singled to give the Golden Eagles hope.

"Just to get a ground ball or a pop fly, let my defense help me out," Hazel said of her mindset.

The right-hander did just that to get out of the jam and seal the title.

"It doesn't feel real yet," Hazel said.

Fans and family members of the Dons made their way onto the field to celebrate with the players and coaches, some of them holding signs reading "B2B" and "#1."

"We wanted it so bad," Miller said. "We just kept pushing the sophomores and telling them, 'You guys don't understand the feeling — it's so awesome.'" —

Storylines

R Spanish Fork pitcher Cambrie Hazel limits Maple Mountain to three hits over seven innings.

• A three-run bottom of the third inning puts Spanish Fork ahead for good.

• Spanish Fork outfielder Taylor Miller goes 3-for-3 to lead Dons offensively.