Photo by Jeff Barrett
The Utah State University Eastern Eagles welcomed the Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) Spartans to Price over the weekend for their second matchup of the season. The two teams battled and split the two games, 4-0 and 9-12, to open the four-game series.
Tyler Fitch and Micah Del Rio combined for seven strikeouts in a combined no-hitter as Eastern won the series opener 4-0.
Both teams remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when Davis Kirby drove an RBI single to score Gavin Douglas. Mack Bright then scored on a Kaden Davis ground out before Kirby scored on a Tyler Nelson. Eastern led 3-0 after the inning.
Douglas got the Eagles another run in the bottom of the sixth with a sacrifice fly to score Dakari Armendariz. USU Eastern combined for eight hits, led by a 3-3 game by Mack Bright. Davis Kirby and Tyler Nelson each added multiple hits as well.
Game two of the doubleheader featured more offensive production for both teams.
Colorado Northwestern opened scoring in the top of the third with a three-run home run. USUE answered in the bottom of the second with two runs on a two-run homer by Mack Bright.
The Spartans added a run in the top of the fourth for a 4-2 lead, but the Eagles scored two of their own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at 4-4. Deavin Lopez doubled to score Conner Bancroft and Davis Kirby drove in Parker Joos on an RBI fielder’s choice.
CNCC continued the back-and-forth affair with a run in the top of the fifth, but again, USUE responded with a two-run RBI single by Vaughn Deming. Parker Joos scored on a wild pitch, then Mack Bright and Deavin Lopez scored on a CNCC error. Eastern took a 9-5 lead into the sixth inning.
Both teams remained scoreless until the top of the eighth where CNCC scored three runs to cut Eastern’s lead to 9-8. A Spartan single in the top of the ninth tied the game at 9-9 before a three-run home run allowed Colorado Northwestern to take a late 12-9 lead.
Eastern loaded bases in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to keep the game rolling, falling 12-9.
Carson Hawkes got the start on the mound for Eastern, lasting four innings and allowing four runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Owen Tuescher tossed 3.2 innings and allowed four runs on six hits. Tuescher was replaced by Dylan Hawkes, who threw the final 1.1 innings. Dylan Hawkes allowed four runs on three hits.
Deavin Lopez and Vaughn Deming were the lone Eagles with multiple hits in the game while seven different Eagles recorded a hit in the game.