| Daniel Luke catches the throw, but not in time to tag out the Dino runner. |
The Emery High Spartan baseball team opened Region 8 play with a 5-3 victory over the Lehi Pioneers in Lehi. Chandler Pearson pitched six strong innings and then survived the seventh in picking up the victory. Pearson also hit a 3-run homerun in the fifth inning to extend the Spartan lead to 5-0.
Pearson struck out six Pioneers, gave up only two walks and held Lehi to only two hits and no runs until the last inning. In the seventh, Lehi scored three runs on four hits before Chandler got the last batter to fly out to centerfield.
Emery scored the first run of the game in the third inning. Wes Baletka opened the inning with a single to left field and was advanced to second on a bunt by Josh Eden. Chandler Tanner picked up the RBI with a single to right field.
Baletka also opened the fifth inning with a single and was advanced as Eden got on base. Tanner also got aboard because of a Lehi error and Baletka scored for the second time. Pearson then hit his homerun to put Emery up 5-0.
On Thursday, the Spartans hosted the Carbon Dinos and lost 9-3. The Dinos used a 7-run sixth inning to break open a 2-1 game and then held off the Spartans.
Daniel Luke scored the first run in the bottom of the second inning as he got on due to an error by the catcher and then proceeded to steal second base, third base and then home.
Emery scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning as Baletka hit a double followed by Jeffs with a single. They both scored in the inning as Trevor Thompson finished off Emery’s hitting with a single in that inning.
The Spartans went 3-7 in the preseason with victories over Pine View in St George and over two Colorado schools, Lakewood and Northridge, in a Montrose tournament.