To start the day in the tournament, the Lady Spartans faced the Morgan Trojans for an undefeated team matchup. Emery jumped out quickly offensively, scoring seven runs in the first two innings. The Trojans answered back with three runs of their own, to keep it a comparative game.
Emery would score two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, adding on to the lead, 9-3. The score would stay the same by the end of the game, handing the Trojans their first loss and advancing Emery to face Grantsville after a three-hour break.
Katelyn Nielson had two RBIs, batting .500. Brooklyn Ekker also had two RBIs with a run scored. Shannon Johnson tacked on two runners batted in and a run scored. Kali Jensen went two for three with a walk, scoring three runs for the Lady Spartans.
Emery had a high scoring affair with the Grantsville Cowboys during their second game of the day. Grantsville would strike first, putting up three runs in the top of the second inning and one more in the third. The Lady Spartans would get on the board in the bottom of three, scoring a couple runs, cutting the lead in half.
Grantsville had another nice inning in the top of the fourth, scoring three more, with the Lady Spartans answering back with one run. The score was 7-3, with Grantsville in control, as Emery would get a nice rally going in the bottom of five, scoring four more runs.
The game was tied at 7, going into the last couple innings for the two last undefeated teams in the tournament. The Cowboys were still getting on base and scoring runs in crucial moments, which had been the reason for their success in the tournament.
They would take the lead after the top of the sixth, 9-7. But the Lady Spartans were still fired up, looking for the win of the resilient Grantsville squad. Emery would gain the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs, bringing the score to 10-9.
Grantsville would once again gain the lead back in the top of the seventh. But they weren’t satisfied with a small lead, and scored a home run as well, bringing in some more RBIs. They ended their final at bat with an eight-run inning.
The Lady Spartans never gave up, but the eight-run lead by the Cowboys was too much to overcome with their last chance at the plate. Emery would fall for their first loss of the state tournament, 18-11.
Ekker had a great game, going three for four with three RBIs and two runs scored. Nielson finished the game with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Madi Bunnell also had two RBIs and two runs scored. Alexis Ungerman had a double, with two runs scored. Jensen ended the game with an RBI and two runs scored. Tailynn Minchey had a double in the game and a run scored in the tough loss.
The girls will face the always impressive, North Sanpete Hawks, for the first time in the tournament next. It will be a “win or go home” situation. The familiar region opponent won both games against the Lady Spartans in the regular season. The game will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, broadcast live at ETVNews.com/LiveSports.
