It was senior night on Friday when the Spartans and Wildcats met on the diamond. Emery recognized its six seniors and gifted them signed coolers with their names on them. Then, it was time to turn the attention back to the critical region matchup. After falling to Richfield on Wednesday, the Spartans were looking to get a big win and improve their RPI standing.
The game did not start out the way Emery had hoped as Richfield quickly put five runs on the board in the first two innings. The Spartans flipped the script on Richfield and went on a 10-1 run over the next three innings to lead 10-6.
With the same score going into the seventh, disaster struck. An error extended the inning, allowing Richfield to plate four runs and tie the game. Emery’s bats went dormant as the contest went into extras. Richfield, on the other hand, broke the tie with two runs in the ninth, caused by another error. The Spartans failed to answer and took the stinging loss, 12-10.
Jace Mangum led the team with three RBIs and two doubles while Wade Stilson added a couple ribbies. Ryker Jensen had a day, going 3-4 from the plate and pitching well at the end of the ball game. Unfortunately, he did not get the help he needed from the defense.
Emery (12-7, 6-4) will need to regroup quickly with the state tournament in plain sight. On Wednesday, the final RPI rankings will be released and then the Spartans will know their place in the tournament, which begins on Saturday. Check back with ETV News for more information as it is made available.
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- Photos by Dusty Butler
