By Greg James |  [email protected] 

The baseball team at West Jordan High School recently got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Jaguars took on the Kearns Cougars at Smith’s Ballpark, the home of the Salt Lake Bees, the AAA affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. 

“The kids enjoyed it,” Jaguars head baseball coach Josh Wright said. “We were grateful for that opportunity to play there.” 

The double-header was made possible by the school administration. The teams had scheduled three games in two days, but because of the weather, the last game had to be postponed and moved to another venue.

West Jordan came out on top of both games. The Jaguars won the first game 9-4 and then after a short break won the second 9-6.

In the opening game, the Jaguars managed 12 hits. Junior Westin Robbins threw a complete game nine-hitter for the victory. He managed two strikeouts but held Kearns to only three walks.

DeAngelo Pavone, Logan Jensen and Mason Alcatraz each had two hits. Pavone had a triple and scored three runs. 

The Jaguars jumped to an early 4-2 lead and then added five more runs before the final stanza. They led 9-2 before allowing two runs in the final at bat.

The nightcap started slowly, both teams dealt with a strong wind blowing in from left field. West Jordan jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Kearns scored four in the third inning to cut into the deficit. 

Jensen pitched 4 ⅔ innings, allowing two earned runs with one strikeout. Devan Hansen closed out the final 2 1/3 innings and had three strikeouts.

Jensen went 4 for 4 and had two runs batted in. The Jaguars never trailed.  

At press deadline, West Jordan has a 6-6 record and is ranked 14th in the most recent ratings performance index. 

The Utah High School Activities Association is scheduled to begin its state tournament on May 15. The tournament is set up slightly different this year. The first round is the best-of-three series. The winners advance to the second-round super regional to face the top eight teams who advanced with byes. The super region winners will advance into a double-elimination tournament to determine the state champion. 

The state tournament finals are scheduled for May 28 and 29 at Utah Valley University.

West Jordan has never won a state baseball championship