Fun weekend features exciting competitions

In the wee morning hours of Sunday, July 25, long after most Pioneer Day celebrators were tightly tucked in bed, the First Colony Mortgage softball team hoisted the 2021 Blue Mountain Invitational Fastpitch Softball Tournament trophy at the Monticello ballfields.

In the semifinals, First Colony beat fellow Herriman, UT opponent Page Brake 10-4 in a rematch of last year’s championship game, ending Page Brake’s four-year title run.

Blanding’s Diamond C Fuels topped JRW Crusaders 9-3 in the semis, but First Colony had their way against the local squad in the final game, winning the championship 13-0. First Colony was 5-0 in the annual two-day tournament, outscoring their opponents 65-14.

In the drop-down bracket, the South Ogden Drillers beat Top Dawg Printing 15-5 to win their second-straight drop-down championship. In all, ten teams competed in the 2021 Blue Mountain Invitational, which once again produced some exciting softball throughout the weekend.

Some of the excitement wasn’t softball-related. When the tournament was in full swing early Saturday evening, a major downpour flooded the fields and sent grounds crew personnel scrambling. The storm delayed play almost seven hours and pushed the championship games back to 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

The home run derby, which preceded the softball tournament on Friday afternoon, also produced some excitement when it was forced into an extra round by a tie between the top two batters.

In the extra frame, Tyler Wartman’s three-dinger effort vaulted him into the top spot. Wartman plays for Top Dawg Printing.

In the other major sports competition of the weekend, 16-year-old Sam Sorensen of South Jordan, UT won the Blue Mountain Pioneer Day 5K, completing the Loyds Lake course in 18:27.5.

Eighteen-year-old Trey Ramsay finished in 19:04.1 to take second place and 19-year-old Spencer Anderson of Ogden was just a tenth of a second behind in third.

Sam’s sister, 18-year-old Abby Sorensen was the top female finisher, coming home 22nd in 23:14.8. 47-year-young Wendy Ramsay was 31st in 25:03.5 and 14-year-old Lilly Burton of Monticello was the third-fastest female in the race, finishing 33rd overall in 25:22.5.

Following the weekend, Monticello Parks and Recreation Director Shayne Christensen said, “Monticello City Recreation would like to thank everyone who helped for our Pioneer Day celebrations.

“We would like to thank the Parks and Beautification Committee for their work on the dugout murals and the Recreation committee for their work on the parade float and cornhole tournament.

“We would like to thank the umpire crew, the grounds crew, and the countless volunteers who helped us with our tournament including a big rain delay that could have ended it all.

“The teams, the volunteers, and the citizens of Monticello really proved how important the Blue Mountain Invitational Softball Tournament is to them by working everything from rakes and weed burns to backhoes and a skid steer to get the fields back in playing shape.

“I personally can’t thank everyone enough for what happened over the weekend. It was truly amazing.”

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