In the first meeting of the teams for Emery versus Manti this year on April 5, the game went to an extra inning, as Emery pulled out the exciting road win. Just three day later on Friday, during a very windy day in Castle Dale, both teams had great defensive games.
The pitching was solid on both sides, as Manti’s Kayson Bailey went six innings, allowing three runs, five hits and seven strikeouts on the day. Wade Stilson was very impressive in the tough weather conditions, allowing only three hits, two runs and ending with nine strikeouts before reaching his limit on pitches thrown.
Freshman Trygg Jensen had the big moment offensively for Emery, as he brought in two runs in the bottom of the sixth, giving the Spartans the go-ahead run. Treven Gilbert had a solid day at bat, going two for three, with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Mason Stilson also had a double in the game for the Spartans and Wade Stilson and Hayden Abrams would be the baserunners to collect a run scored.
It was a big win for Emery, giving them the advantage in the RPI, as they sit at the fourth position ahead of Manti. With eight games left in the season, the Spartans look to stay on the upper half of the RPI, hoping for homefield advantage when the state tournament arrives in the beginning of May.
The Spartans will see the North Sanpete Hawks (0-7) twice this week, first on Tuesday in Mt. Pleasant. Then on Thursday, they travel to Cedar City to face the Falcons (6-1), and Friday they return home to play the Hawks once more.