Photo by Jeff Barrett
By Calvin Jensen
USU Eastern continued its Arizona road trip on Thursday as the team traveled Cochise College to take on the Apaches. In the first of two games in the doubleheader, the scoreboard reflected a closely-contested battle; however, Cochise earned the victory with a final score of 2-0. The game showcased standout performances from pitchers on both sides.
Eastern struggled to get its offense going against Cochise pitcher Ramses Guerra. Despite their efforts, the Eagles couldn’t produce runs on the scoreboard, tallying zero runs on zero hits, giving Guerra a complete game shutout.
On the defensive side, Eagle’s pitcher Wayland Crane delivered a commendable performance, going six innings and allowing only two runs. Despite the loss, Crane registered three strikeouts, keeping the game within reach.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Eagles brought a renewed offensive effort to the plate, scoring four runs on an impressive 10 hits against Cochise. Eastern’s offensive standouts included Tyler Nelson with two hits, Bodee Goins with two hits and an RBI, Hunter Gatti singled, bringing in a run, and Nathan Rose hit a double play, also bringing in a scoring run. In the second inning, a single by McGwire Jephson extended the Eagles’ lead to 4-0 before Cochise made its comeback.
On the mound, Eastern utilized a trio of pitchers, including Owen Teuscher, Tanner Kofoed and Carter Perry. Teuscher tallied three strikeouts over five innings. Despite the combined efforts on the mound, Eastern couldn’t entirely contain Cochise’s hitting, allowing a ninth inning walk-off and a 5-4 victory for the Apaches.