| Emery player slides at second while Delta player leaps for the baseball. |
As the region spring sports enter the second half of region play, Emery High School, despite dropping two games to Juan Diego while defeating Delta, stays in the region hunt for a baseball championship as the region teams jockey for position. On Tuesday last week, Emery defeated Delta 9-4 and then on Friday, the Spartans lost two games to Juan Diego. Emery lost the first game 18-8 and then the nightcap 13-5.
Against Delta, Emery scored four runs in the first inning to open a big lead at 4-1. Emery scored two more in the fourth inning to go up 6-3 and then added three more runs in the fifth inning to lead 9-3. Delta scored another run in the sixth inning to get to the final score.
In that first inning, Dave Justice, Ryne Jones, Kyler Edgehouse and Blake Mortensen all got on base and eventually scored. Jones hit a double in the inning, one of two for the day.
In the fourth inning, Riley Spears and Jordan Gee each had a base hit, Gee’s was a double, and both eventually scored. Kade Jones also had a hit and got the RBI as Gee scored.
In the fifth inning, Edgehouse, Ryne Jones and Mortensen each got a base hit before scoring for the Spartans. Steve Giles also hit a double in the inning but was not able to score.
Emery had 12 base hits for the game but also served up 5 errors to give the Rabbits some life.
Against Juan Diego, a school that some love to hate because of their smug attitude, Emery took the early lead only to see it disappear in the final two innings of the game.
Emery led 8-5 as Juan Diego came to bat in the top of the fifth inning. Emery took starting pitcher Steven Giles out of the game and brought in ace Kyler Edgehouse to close out the game. Or at least that was the anticipated results. Didn’t happen, on this day Edgehouse did not have his stuff and Juan Diego made Emery pay for this mistake.
Emery scored one run in the first inning as Draper got on base by fielder’s choice and was brought home by singles by Justice and Ryne. Giles and Gee singled to open the third inning and eventually scored due to a Juan Diego error.
Giles and Kassidy Thompson each singled in the bottom of the fourth inning and each eventually scored. Score is now 6-3 for Emery. After Juan Diego added 2 runs in the top of the fourth inning, Emery scored two more in the bottom of the fifth inning to lead 8-5. Draper and Justice each got a base hit and each scored to have Emery ready for the win. Juan Diego forgot to read the script though, and scored 13 runs over the next two innings as they picked up 9 hits and 6 walks and blew open a close game.
In the nightcap, Emery scored 4 runs in the bottom of the first inning and then almost never got another base runner on the base paths. Kade, Draper, Justice and Edgehouse all scored but then Emery went three up, three down for the next three innings before Kade got another base hit in the final inning. Juan Diego scored three in the first inning, two in the third inning, three in the fifth inning and four in the sixth inning.
Emery now plays a double header at Carbon this Friday starting at 2:30 p.m. Emery does not play another home game this season, as they will close out the season on the road.
Emery is currently in third place in Region 8 behind Juan Diego and Carbon.