Needing to get to .500 before this weekend to make the NJCAA postseason tournament, the USU Eastern Golden Eagles needed to win at least two of the four games against the visiting Utah All Stars this past weekend. Mission accomplished.
The Golden Eagles swept the four-game series against a team made up of former players and other standouts from Utah by a combined score of 43-8 to get to 20-18 on the season.
In game one on Friday, Orangeville native and former Emery Spartan Colter Moore went five innings and struck out 10 in the win. Moore gave up just one run, which was unearned. Former Carbon Dinos Derek Young and Bryce Blackburn combined to knock in four of the 10 runs in the 11-2 win.
Dakota Cisneros went 2-3 in game two with a double in Eastern’s 10-0 win. Cisneros doubled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second inning, scoring two. Cooper Beck and Manny Begay each had two RBIs as well.
Blackburn was a triple short of the cycle in the first game on Saturday, adding five RBIs to his season total of 27. His home run in the bottom of the second inning was his second on the season. The game lasted just six innings, ending with a final score of 10-0.
In the final game of the series, Eastern had four players record multiple hits, including Blackburn, Sean Hardman, Jordan Mellen and Tyson Hutchins in the 12-6 win. Mellen tallied five RBIs and Hardman and Hutchins each had two.
With postseason play lurking, the Golden Eagles will finish the regular season this weekend with a three-game series in Rangely, Colo. against Colorado Northwestern Community College. Although the games this weekend won’t affect his team’s postseason plans, Eastern coach Scott Madsen said he is very much looking forward to the series.
“We have unfinished business with those guys,” Madsen said. The Spartans swept a four-game series in Price back in March.
Madsen said his team will play next week in the NJCAA Region/District Championships in Phoenix against an undetermined opponent.
