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Salt Lake City • Averaging over two runs every inning seems like a certain recipe for success.

But against some teams, such as the West Panthers, sometimes the stats just don't pan out.

In a softball contest on Friday, the Murray Spartans found out that good outings at the plate doesn't necessarily mean you'll keep getting more chances. The visitors put up seven runs over three frames, including a three-run rally in the third.

The Spartans though never got to pick up the stick again.

West, sporting a two-run lead heading into the bottom of the third, sent 14 batters to the plate in the third before Murray was able to record an out. That happened with Hitter No. 15 — Asia Fauga, who flied out to left.

But that was a sacrifice fly, scoring the final run in a 22-7 win.

The game ended via the 15-run mercy rule, which goes into effect after the third inning.

"Our strength has always been hitting. We're trying to improve our defense to complement that — and we've still got a long ways to go," West coach Keith Lopati said. "At the end of the day, we hang our hat on hitting."

And hit West (12-4) did in the non-region game.

Jazmyn Rollin crushed two home runs — a three-run shot in the second and then a two-run blast in the third. Breah Ava hit a solo homer to center and her younger sister, Huntyr Ava, clubbed one over the fence to dead-center in the second.

Rollin said her long balls were necessary to make up for a bad start with the glove.

"We started slow, due to the spirit bowl we had at school. It was crazy over there," said Rollin of a grade-vs-grade activity at West that ended about an hour before game time.

"Coming out with two errors for me, definitely not how I wanted to start the game," she added. "With my bat, I knew I had to do something with it."

Murray (5-5) got singles from Sophie Richmond and Sami Gray in the first inning, but the Spartans' four-run salvo to start the game was also aided greatly by several Panthers' errors as West shuffled its lineup in the field.

Breah Ava, normally a third baseman, was in center as part of an effort to cover the gaps as three regulars had to miss the contest.

In the third, Murray's three runs were highlighted by a triple from Gray to left and a double by Preslee Jensen.

The Spartans are being led in the dugout this year by Danie McKay, who took over for longtime head coach Lisa Parker.

"I think it's going pretty smooth; I think they're starting to adapt to my program," McKay said. "I think we have a good fan base and they've all bought in. It's still very much the same, I believe."