Lady Spartans advance to second round of state

By GARY ARRINGTON Sports writer

Senior Bear River pitcher Josi Summers is at the end of her high school career. That is a good thing for 3-A softball. That is a good thing for the other teams in 3-A even if it is not for the Bears. Summers is a pitcher for Bear River, the team that has won the last two state championships in softball and is out looking for number three. Summers was the starting pitcher for those two teams and was selected the 3-A MVP each season with number three coming any day now.
Summers and her Bear teammates hosted Emery in the first round of the 3-A state tournament this past weekend and Summers made short work of the visiting Spartans. Summers struck out 13 of the 17 batters she faced in the game. Two Spartans walked and two Spartans grounded out. Emery committed five errors in the game while giving up 12 hits and 13 runs.
Emery, after the loss to the number one ranked team in the state, rebounded with a convincing 16-2 victory over the Carbon Dinos to stay alive in the playoffs. After Carbon had lost to Cedar City in a hard fought ballgame that Carbon had actually led most of the way, the Dinos then had to face their Castle Country neighbors for the second time in three days.
Emery wanted to jump out on the Dinos right off the bat and that is exactly what they accomplished. Makiah Sherman opened the game for the visiting Spartans with a walk. Markette Tanner then singled to left field. After Gabby Guymon walked to load the bases, Michelle Oliver doubled to center field to score two runs. After Shelby Mason fouled out, Whitney Roper got on base due to an error by the catcher. Danavin Reed became the second out with a pop-up to the first baseman. Reed later became the third out of the inning as the next eight batters all got on base.
Abbie Kay singled, Jo Jennings singled, Sherman singled, Tanner walked, Guymon doubled to left center field, Mason tripled to right field and Roper doubled to right field. Emery scored 12 runs in the inning while picking up eight base hits.
After giving up a single run to Carbon in the bottom of the inning, Emery would score three more times in the top of the second inning. Kay led off the inning with another single followed by Jennings getting another single. Sherman followed with a single, Guymon had a single and Mason hit a double as the first three base runners for Emery all scored.
Emery would score once more in the top of the fifth inning. Jennings would score for the third time in the game after she drew a walk and scored on a Sherman double.
Emery will now play Thursday at the Valley Complex in Taylorsville at 6 p.m. against the loser of the Grantsville-Canyon View game.
In action earlier in the week, Emery went to Richfield and closed out the region season with a 5-3 victory over the Wildcats. Whitney Roper picked up the win as she allowed six hits over seven innings while striking out 12 batters. Emery scored three runs in the third inning, another in the fourth inning and the final in the fifth inning.
In the third inning, Tanner walked, Oliver walked, Guymon doubled, Reed singled and Mason walked and the first three batters all scored. In the fourth inning, Kay singled and would score on a single by Guymon. Tanner singled in between the two batters. In the fifth inning, Reed, Jaden Huntington, Roper and Tanner all singled and Reed scored.
After the game and after returning to Emery High, three of the players were involved in a one-car accident as the driver swerved to avoid a dog in the road. Two players, Huntington and Tealan Miller were transported to the hospital where both were released later that night. Although neither had broken bones, both were bruised and sore with Huntington being the worst off. Jaden had just started her first varsity game for Emery and went three for four at the plate. Gabby Guymon was the third Spartan involved and she was OK.
Emery also played Carbon High on Thursday last week in the last scheduled game of the season. Emery won that game 8-7 with Jeridi Price on the mound. Emery scored three times in the second inning, once in the third inning, once in the fifth inning, twice in the sixth inning and once in the seventh inning.
Emery had 15 hits. Sherman hit a homerun in the second inning. McKenzie Grange hit a homerun in the sixth inning. Tanner had two doubles in the game and Mason and Roper each had one double.