TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (May 17, 2018) - Timely hits and quality pitching have been the calling cards for Salt Lake Community College's baseball team throughout the season.

However, it's amazing how well the Bruins have refined the art of using those moments to propel to victory. Salt Lake led 3-0 early in the opening round of the District One championships, facing off against Trinidad State in the opening round of the tourney. Salt Lake would hold the lead for the remainder of the game, scoring a pair of late runs to earn a 9-6 victory and advance into Friday's semifinals.

The Bruins led 3-0 after the second inning, thanks to Brady Brook and Jaxson Otis both hitting RBI singles off Trinidad's starting pitcher, who only went 4.2 innings in the game. SLCC extended the lead to 7-1 in the fifth inning, as Payton Freeman's RBI double keyed the Bruins to a four-run inning. While Trinidad would cut the deficit to a single-run, 7-6, in the sixth inning, Salt Lake countered to score two runs in the eighth inning as Brook hit an RBI double.

Salt Lake pitcher Ben Weese played a critical role in the game, pitching the Bruins to a big lead early while earning the victory on the mound. Weese struck out three batters, with SLCC reliever Jesse Parker earning a save by throwing the scoreless final 2.2 innings.

Brook finished the game going 2-of-4, leading the team with two RBI's. Otis also had a pair of RBI's, part of a 2-of-5 performance at the plate. Eight different Bruins got hits in the game, with five batters having multi-hit games.

Salt Lake will face the winner of a game between rival Southern Idaho and Arizona Western on Friday, in a winners' bracket semifinal matchup. The game will start at 3:00 p.m., with the winner playing Saturday for the District One title and an automatic bid into the NJCAA College World Series. The loser will play in an elimination bracket game at 7:00 p.m.