Pleasant Grove Shuts Out Princeton in Game 3 to Reach Class 3A Region II Baseball Final

PARIS -- Pleasant Grove will play in its sixth consecutive regional championship.

The Hawks beat Princeton 5-3 in Saturday's Gam 3 at North Lamar High School to complete a Class 3A Region II semifinal sweep. Princeton had beaten the Hawks 2-1 earlier Saturday in Game 2.

Pleasant Grove (25-12), which has reached the 3A state tournament in each of the last five years and won state championships in 2010 and 2012, plays Melissa (29-8) in the Region II title next week at a site and time to be determined.

Jarod Bayless pitched a three-hit complete game shutout to send the Hawks to the fifth round. Pleasant Grove broke open a scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the third.

The Hawks added one in the fourth and another 2-spot in the fifth for the five-run advantage on Princeton, which finished the season 29-8.

Princeton's David Gieke pitched a complete game four-hitter in Game 2 to push the series to Game 3. Gieke also started Game 3 before being relieved in the fifth inning.

Princeton scored twice in the bottom of the second to get all the runs it needed in Game 2. Pleasant Grove's Trey Jeans and Dylan Silvey, who entered the game in the sixth, limited Princeton to four hits in the loss.