Park City High School Baseball and Softball Teams held Senior Nights this week. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — Senior Night at Park City High School brought a split result Tuesday as the Miners softball team cruised to an 18-1 victory over Highland while the baseball squad fell 14-1 to Ridgeline.

On the baseball side, the lone Miners run came in the fourth inning off the bat of senior Joey Breza in the non-conference matchup against the Ridgeline Riverhawks, who traveled down from northern Utah.

Earlier in the season, the Miners had strung together a four-game winning streak with a pair of wins over Murray and two more against Judge Memorial Catholic.

Cheering from the sideline was Lara Rude, who has spent 30 years as a teacher in the Park City School District — the last 10 as library media specialist at Ecker Hill Middle School. “Hi, Mrs. Rude!” rang out throughout the evening from parents and students alike. During her tenure, she has been named Utah Teacher of the Year.

Rude’s connection to the program runs deep. Her sons, Casey and Ethan, both came up through the Park City Baseball Youth League starting at age 10.

“My boys have been involved in the Youth League of Park City Baseball since they were 10 years old,” she said.

Casey, a junior, pitches for the Miners and often comes in as relief. Ethan, a recent Park City graduate, is studying pre-med at the University of Oregon while serving as student manager for the Ducks baseball team. Their father, Pete, is a paramedic — and Ethan is following in his dad’s footsteps when it comes to staying close to the game.

“He enjoyed his time on the PCHS Baseball Team so much that he just wanted to continue being involved in the sport he loves,” Laura said. “He gets to travel around the country and as a bonus gets a tuition break.”

Casey may be eyeing a similar path. The University of Utah is on his short list, where he has explored the possibility of working as the Utes’ student baseball manager. For now, No. 16 is focused on the Miners — he carries an 8-4 record this season in Region play, ranking him second after finishing first last year.

Rude also touched on the new sports facility under construction on Kearns Boulevard, saying the team can’t wait to play on the turf field starting next year.