Top-ranked Broncos suffer upset loss to rival Grand County in state opener

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
When the final 2A baseball RPI standings and state tournament brackets were revealed by the Utah High School Activities Association this past week San Juan was ranked first, Monticello eighth, and Grand County ninth.
That meant the Broncos would host their two southeastern Utah rivals in a three-team pod to begin the tournament on Saturday, May 3. It also meant two of the three teams from our local area would leave Blanding with one loss each.
As the top-seeded team and host of the pod, the Broncos enjoyed the benefit of watching the first game of the day as Grand County had their way with Monticello in an 18-1 final.
That result pitted the Red Devils against the Broncos for the fourth time this season in a contest to decide which of the two teams would advance to the state quarterfinals at BYU and which would begin the fight to play their way back in the one-loss bracket.
San Juan topped Grand County easily in the rivals’ first three meetings this season, outscoring them 29-8 in the process. But the postseason is a different animal and the Broncos found that out very quickly this past Saturday.
The Red Devil bats came alive early as they plated two runs in the top of the first inning when JT Dowd smacked a bases-clearing double to left field.
The Broncos rallied to score a run themselves in the bottom of the first on a nice double from Talon Mendoza that drove in Branten Bethea who had reached on a single.
But Grand County added two more runs to their lead in the top of the second on a Weston Jones single and a Breckin Shepherd sacrifice fly, making the score 4-1.
JT Dowd got on the stat sheet again in the top of the third when he smoked a single to the left side, scoring Tatym Bisco and increasing the Red Devils’ lead to 5-1.
Corbin Middleton came in for San Juan to relieve starting pitcher Jaiten Knight and got them out of the inning. But the Broncos were unable to cut into the deficit as Grand held them off the scoreboard until the bottom of the fifth.
Baylor Nielson led off the inning with a solid double, advanced to third on a passed ball, then scored on a wild pitch for San Juan’s second run of the game.
That was all the damage the Broncos could muster though, and the Red Devils scored two more runs in the top of the seventh on back-to-back doubles from Romeo Williams and Trace York, stretching their lead to 7-2.
San Juan suffered two outs early in the bottom half of the final inning, but Bethea doubled to right field to give them some life. Down to their last out, the Broncos plated two runs on gutsy Mendoza and Middleton singles.
But the rally came up short when Grand closer Kalan Bowden struck out Jake Ivins, ending the game and San Juan’s undefeated bid 7-4.
The Broncos scored four runs on nine hits and committed two errors in the tough loss. Ultimately, the early Grand County lead proved too much to overcome.
Bethea and Mendoza both had two-hit days for San Juan. Middleton, Nache Young, Jake Ivins, and Baylor Nielson all had one hit apiece.
Mendoza drove in to runs for the Broncos and Middleton had one RBI. Jaiten Knight suffered the loss on the mound, allowing five runs on five hits and striking out two in 2.1 innings of work. Middleton allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five Red Devils in his 4.2 innings.
The beauty of the 2A Utah State Baseball Tournament is that it is a true double-elimination affair, so even though San Juan has one loss they’re still very much alive in the hunt for the 2025 state championship – they’ll just have to play a few extra games to get there.
Their path began on Tuesday, May 6 against #10 Duchesne in a game played in Moab due to wet field conditions in Blanding. The game was also played after the San Juan Record print deadline.
The Broncos need their fifth win against the Eagles this season and four additional wins in one-loss play to battle their way into the championship game at BYU on Saturday, May 10.
As long as San Juan stays alive, the tournament moves to Provo starting Thursday, May 8 and will continue through the weekend.