Lady Broncos win three straight after suffering state first-round loss

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
Following a tough 6-1 loss to Grand County in Duchesne to open the 2025 2A Utah State Softball Tournament, the San Juan Lady Broncos found themselves in a battle for their lives, needing eight straight wins to capture the state championship.
Tenth-seeded San Juan bounced back to defeat #15 Parowan handily 16-4 in the one-loss first round, then put on an impressive showing as the tournament moved to the Spanish Fork Softball Complex on Thursday, May 8.
The Lady Broncos won two more games, both upsets to advance to the one-loss quarterfinals and were among the final six teams still vying for the title.
They beat #8 Milford in the one-loss second round 10-4, leading from start to finish in that game. They they took down #5 Gunnison Valley in the one-loss third round in a hard-fought battle 5-2.
The Lady Broncos trailed the Lady Bulldogs 1-0 heading to the plate in the fourth inning, but scored all five of their runs over the course of the next three innings. Gunnison had swept San Juan in a doubleheader in the teams’ only meeting prior to the state tournament.
In the one-loss quarterfinals on Friday, May 9 San Juan geared up to take on their toughest opponent of the tournament to that point in #3 Beaver.
The Lady Beavers had lost to Duchesne in the state semifinals and ultimately ended up finishing as the runners-up in the tournament.
The Lady Broncos gave them a run for their money as they opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning and one more in the second for a slim 3-1 lead.
Beaver rallied to tie the game with two runs in the top of the third and that’s where it stayed until the top of the sixth inning.
The Lady Beavers scored a run in that frame to take their first lead of the game 4-3. But San Juan plated two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead 5-4.
Sadly, Beaver scored two more runs in the top of the seventh, and when San Juan couldn’t answer the Lady Broncos’ season came to a heartbreaking end in a 6-5 final.
San Juan ends the season with a 17-16 overall record. They were 8-4 in 2A Central Region play and really showed themselves as a tough team to eliminate in the state tournament.
Individually, Madden Perkins led the Lady Bronco offensive attack with a .448 batting average. She was 39-for-87 on the year with one home run, two triples, nine doubles, 22 runs batted in, and 39 runs scored.
Averie Gilson was right behind her teammate with a batting average of .447. She was 38-for-85 on the year with a team-high eight homers, three triples, nine doubles, 36 RBIs, and a team-leading 45 runs scored.
Morgann McPherson hit safely in 33 of her 84 at-bats this season for a .393 batting average. She hit six home runs, five triples, and six doubles while driving in a team-high 45 runs and scoring 35 of her own.
Khatira Keith had a great year at the plate with 34 hits in 87 at-bats for an average of .391. She hit three home runs, a team-high four triples, and a team-high 15 doubles. Keith drove in 33 San Juan runs this season and scored 12.
Keegan Palmer was next in line with a .360 average. She was 27-for-75 with a triple, eight doubles, 20 RBIs, and 31 runs.
Miley Harrison batted .350, going 28-for-80. She hit five homers, one triple, eight doubles, 28 RBIs, and 15 runs scored.
Elizabeth Palmer also batted .350 this season with 21 hits in 60 at-bats. She hit two home runs, two triples, and two doubles while driving in 15 runs and scoring 31.
Colee Crofts was 13-for-65 for a .255 batting average on the year. She had one home run, one triple, and one double with nine RBIs and 28 runs scored.
Sadie Cosby was .227 at the plate with 17 hits in 75 at-bats. She got her money’s worth on those hits, driving in 19 runs for the Lady Broncos. She hit one home run, one double, and scored 14 runs.
And Kheirra Keith collected seven hits in 37 at-bats this year for an average of .189. She had two doubles, four RBIs, and nine runs scored.
On the basepaths Averie Gilson led the way with 28 steals. Madden Perkins stole 24 bases, and Elizabeth Palmer got 19.
Three Lady Broncos handled all the pitching duties this season. Khatira Keith had the lowest earned-run average among them at 3.35. The junior allowed 40 earned runs on 91 hits and struck out 114 of the 414 batters she faced in 83.2 innings of work.
Kheirra Keith ended the season with a 5.13 ERA, allowing 43 earned runs on 73 hits. She struck out 73 of the 323 batters she faced in 58.2 innings.
And Averie Gilson pitched 18.2 innings for San Juan, collecting a 6.37 ERA and 23 strikeouts while allowing 17 earned runs on 31 hits.
Only Cosby is graduating this year, so the 2026 Lady Broncos will return almost all of their varsity players. It should be a very exciting near future for San Juan softball.