As the 2015 Emery High baseball season begins, Coach Steven Gordon is working on perfecting his line-up to maximize the wins and to help his team return to the 2-A state tournament. Emery, the two-time defending champion, returns the majority of last season’s team plus mixes it with a good blend of younger players that are working hard to stay in the line-up. Emery opened the season by splitting a pair of games at home against Uintah and North Sevier and then made their annual trip to Montrose, Colo. to face three Colorado teams.
Emery opened the season by losing to 4-A Uintah 8-2 as the Spartans managed just a single hit by senior Ridge Nielson in the game. Emery then defeated the Wolves 14-4 with senior Dillon Wilstead picking up the win and the Emery batters having 12 hits with six of those going for extra bases. Senior Ethan Tuttle had a homerun and a double to lead the way and Tuttle had 7 RBI’s in the game. Nielson, Mark DeBry, Tanner Lake and Race Nielson also doubled.
Last Friday, Emery played Fort Collins, Colo. in Montrose and lost the close game 7-4 as both teams scored three runs in the sixth inning to make the game interesting at the end. Emery outhit the winners 11-10 but the Spartan base hits were more spread out. Ridge Nielson pitched this game for Emery and picked up the loss.
Emery scored their three in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game before losing the lead again in the bottom of the inning. DeBry started off the sixth inning with a single followed by Lake with another single. After an out, Jordan Baletka doubled and after another out, Ridge doubled to tie the score. Fort Collins had three hits in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead. Nielson, DeBry and Lake each had a pair of hits in the game and Tuttle, Bryce Dugmore, Tyson Roper, Race Nielson and Baletka each had just one base hit.
On Saturday Emery played a double header and won both games. First they defeated Eagle Valley High 10-6 and then they defeated Alamosa 21-2.
Against Eagle Valley Tyson Roper was the winning pitcher as the Spartans use their pitching strength to start the season with a bullpen of good pitchers. Roper gave up just five hits in the win. Eagle Valley scored all of the runs in the third inning as a pair of errors on the first two batters led to the runs in the inning.
Emery scored four runs in the first inning, another in the second inning, two more in the third inning, another in the fourth and the final two runs in the fifth inning. In the first inning, Nielson led off the game with a walk followed by Tuttle with a single. After two batters got out, Lake walked, Dugmore singled, Race singled and Easton Gordon doubled to score all but Dugmore and Gordon.
In the second inning, Ridge scored again after he singled. Ridge and Race are brothers for those who don’t know. In the third inning, the first two batters got out and then Race singled, Gordon singled and Baletka doubled to score the two runs. In the fourth inning, Tuttle walked, DeBry walked, Logan Labrum got hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Dugmore walked to score Tuttle. In the fifth inning Emery scored their final two runs after Ridge doubled, Tuttle got hit by a pitch and Roper singled to score the two runs.
In the blow out against Alamosa, Dugmore got the victory after starting on the mound and the Spartans only gave up two base hits in the win. Emery scored nine runs in the first inning, eight in the second inning and four in the fourth inning in a game cut short by the mercy rule. Emery had 20 base hits in this game with Roper leading the way with four hits and Tuttle, DeBry and Bowdie Jacobsen having three base hits each and Ridge, Dugmore and Tel Gardener having a pair of base hits.
Ridge, Tuttle and Gardener hit a double each and Roper had a triple.
Emery starts region action this week by facing Grand at home on Tuesday and then traveling to Grand on Friday.
Emery spring sports baseball/softball/soccer
"Emery catcher Jordan Baletka gets ready to tag the runner. The umpire calls him safe."