Photos by Jeff Barrett
The Carbon Dinos and Emery Spartans took part in the 3A Playoffs on Saturday at Ernie Gardner Field in Helper. Both teams advanced to take part in Thursday’s games in Salt Lake City with a chance at a state championship.
The Dinos and Spartans began the day with a matchup against each other at 10 a.m. Carbon beat Emery already this season, 16-0, back on March 28.
Carbon struck first in the bottom of the first, plating two runs. After getting the Spartans in order in the second, the Dinos got a three-run home run from Cody Lowe to take the 5-0 lead. Lowe knocked in Ty Anderson and Cesar Laya who both walked with two outs.
Both teams settled in for the next four innings before the Dinos broke through for four more runs with two outs in the sixth. A single by Laya, and doubles by Zach Bradley and Collin Lewis, padded the score going into the seventh inning.
After Emery got its first two batters on base in the top of the seventh, Bradley got the Spartans down in order after that to end the game for the 9-0 win. Bradley tossed the complete game two-hitter while striking out four batters.
Emery’s Easton Gordon had the two hits for the Spartans, going 2-3. Cade Brazier took the loss on the mound after giving up five runs, four earned, on three hits. He also walked four batters and struck out two.
Laya was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with three singles and a walk. Lewis went 2-4 in the game with a double and single and an RBI.
After Grand beat Morgan in the second game of the day, a matchup between Emery and Morgan took place at 3 p.m. in the consolation round.
Leading 4-0 going into the sixth inning, the Spartans scored eight runs to put the game out of reach for the Trojans.
Gordon tossed a gem on the mound, tossing the complete game while allowing just four hits and registering 11 strikeouts. Kyson Stilson went 2-5 in the game with an RBI. Jesse Barnett had two RBIs as well. Gordon had a hit as well, a triple that knocked in a run.
With the win, Emery now will play Union in the 3A one loss bracket on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Salt Lake Community College’s Cate Field.
In the night cap on Saturday evening, Carbon hosted the Grand Red Devils for a spot in the 3A Quarterfinals.
With a loss to the Red Devils earlier in the season in their minds, Carbon scored all of their four runs in the final three innings for the 4-3, come-from-behind win.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth and with runners on second and third, Lowe hit a single to shallow center for the two-run double to tie the game at three.
Triton Abeyta then took the mound in the top of the sixth, spelling Lowe who pitched five strong innings, and got the Red Devils in order to set up an important bottom half of the inning.
Bradley reached on an error on a hit up the middle to begin the inning. After Bradley was thrown out at second on an attempted sacrifice bunt by Nate Olson, who reached first, Braxton Bennett doubled over the center fielder’s head for the triple, scoring Olson. The run ended up being the winning run for the Dinos.
Abeyta retired the first two Grand batters in the seventh, before issuing a walk to the next Grand player. Abeyta then got a groundout to short to end the game.
Lowe and Bennett each went 2-3 in the game with two RBIs each. Anthony Jones had the only other hit in the game, going 1-3. Lowe allowed three runs on seven hits on the mound for the no decision. Abeyta got the win after tossing two innings and allowing no hits.
Carbon will face the number one ranked 3A team in Grantstville on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Gates Field in Kearns.
