ETV News Stock Photo by Jeff Barrett
The Spartans headed south last weekend to compete in a Mesquite tournament. They welcomed the chance to get back on the diamond after the home opener did not go the way Emery had hoped. After falling 18-2 against Union, the Spartans were ready to turn the page and get in the win column.
They did just that against a good Virgin Valley (NV) team on Thursday. Emery jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first before the Bulldogs tied it up in the second. The Spartans answered back in the next half inning to go back up by two.
The game remained close as the teams traded runs, but Emery did enough to edge out Virgin Valley 6-5. Wade Stilson was excellent at the plate, going 3-3 with a double. Meanwhile, Kade Larsen and Gannon Ward each recorded two RBIs. Easton Nielson picked up the win while Hayden Abrams recorded the save.
Emery remained hot on Friday morning when they faced Bonneville. The Spartans scored in nearly every inning, applying pressure early and often. They would go on to shutout the Lakers, 9-0, for the win. Larsen once more led the team in ribbies with three while Ward went 3-4. On the mound, it was a combined shutout from Stilson and Larsen. The former struck out eight of the 11 batters he faced while the latter finished with four strikeouts in two innings.
The Moapa Valley Pirates (NV) brought the heat on Friday night. They used a big third inning and scored seven runs to put the game away. The Spartans kept fighting but eventually lost 12-4. Stilson continued to swing a hot bat, going 2-2 with a double and two RBIs.
On Saturday, the Spartans returned to the win column against Enterprise. They immediately went to work with four runs in the first. While the Wolves would cut it to one a few innings later, Emery slammed the door shut and went on to win 6-4. Larsen went 2-3 with two ribbies while Ward finished 2-3 with a double. Stilson picked up another win on the mound with seven strikeouts through three innings. He gave up two earned runs in that span.
The final game of the tournament was another match with Virgin River. Emery struggled in this one and was held to one run on two hits. The Bulldogs took advantage of their great pitching and won it 6-1.
Emery (3-3) wrapped up the road trip with a 3-2 record and will now gear up to play Manti (5-0) on Monday. They will then hit the road to face Providence Hall (1-3) on Wednesday and North Sanpete (1-2) on Thursday.