Lady Spartans open season with home win

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports Writer

The 2009 high school softball season opened with a home win for the Emery High Lady Spartans last Wednesday afternoon as Emery defeated North Sevier 16-6 in the varsity game. The JV team continued the good afternoon with an 18-3 victory.
The visiting Wolves got started quickly as the leadoff batter singled and was tripled home by the following batter. Spartan pitcher Keera Allred then settled in with a strikeout of the next batter, a fly-out of the following batter and then a groundout.
Emery answered immediately. In the bottom of the first inning, Adrienne Weihing walked, Danavin Reed walked and Abbie Kay got an RBI with a single. Reed scored on a Markette tanner single to right center field and after Gabby Guymon walked, Kay and Tanner scored on a single by Shelby Mason. Emery led 4-2 after the first inning.
Over the next three innings, Emery held North Sevier to two base hits and two walks while Allred struck out the side in the fourth inning. Emery added six runs in the third inning to grab a 10-2 lead.
After the first two batters of the third inning got out, Tanner singled again, Guymon and Allred walked and Mason got on by an error. Weihing, Michelle Oliver and Makiah Sherman each then walked and through stolen bases and passed balls, Emery scored their six runs.
North Sevier added three runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth to get to their six runs. Emery added one run in the fourth inning, three more runs in the fifth inning and won the game by the 10-run rule with two more in the sixth inning.
In the fourth inning, Guymon scored after walking on a single by Allred. In the fifth inning, Sherman, Reed and Kay each singled with Sherman scoring on Kay’s base hit. Reed and Kay scored on a double by Guymon. In the sixth inning, Oliver tripled and Sherman walked. Both scored on a double to right centerfield by Kay.
Emery scored 16 runs on 13 base hits and the Spartans walked 10 times. Each of the first seven batters scored two times with the other two batters each scoring once. Abbie Kay led the team with three base hits and four RBI’s. Gabby Guymon batted four times and doubled once and walked three times. Keera Allred pitched a complete game to get the victory, walked three batters and struck out six batters.
In the JV game, Emery scored seven runs in the first inning, two runs in the second inning, and nine runs in the fourth inning. Freshman Whitney Roper pitched a complete game in getting the win.
Miranda Miller batted four times, got on base four times and scored three times to lead the team. Makayla Copinga batted four times and scored three times. Shailee Stokes and Kaitlyn Thompson each batted three times and scored twice. Shannie Luke, Mackenzie Grange and JoLynn Jennings each scored twice.
Emery now travels to the St. George area this week for games at Hurricane on Thursday and will participate in a St. George tournament on Friday and Saturday.