| The team gets ready to swarm Ryan Draper as he comes across the plate after hitting a three run homer to win the game for Emery. |
It is easier to do well in the Utah state baseball tournament if you win both games you play on the opening weekend of the tournament but it is necessary to win at least one game if you want to continue playing at all. That is what Emery did last week as they traveled to the Judge Memorial Catholic High School baseball field and split games with Logan and host Judge. The Spartans started the day with a 3-2 victory over Logan before losing to the host 12-2.
In the win, there are two stats that you really need to know. One is that Ryan Draper hit a three-run homerun in the top of the seventh inning and the other is that Steve Giles pitched a great game.
Head Coach Jimmy Jones on his pitcher Giles, “Steve pitched a fantastic game. This season he got a little taller, put on a little weight and matured into our number two starter. He just pitched a heck of a game.”
Giles pitched a great game. Through the first six innings, Giles only gave up a single hit although the Grizzlies finished the game with four hits. Giles struck out six batters, served up 13 pitches that induced ground balls to his infielders, got three pop-ups to his infielders and walked no one. His outfielders never contributed an out in the game as there was none for them to get.
Through six innings, Emery and Logan battled to a 0-0 tie as neither team could get anything across the plate. In the seventh inning, Giles started off the inning with a long fly ball to centerfield that was caught. Jordan Gee singled to get on base and was advanced to second base as Kesler Tanner grounded out to the pitcher. Kade Jones then walked and Ryan Draper hit one over the left field fence as Emery scored the first runs of the game.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Giles gave up a single to the first batter before striking out the second batter. The Grizzlies then had two more singles to load the bases. Giles, maybe tired maybe nervous, then hit the next two batters with a pitch to score two runs and keep the bases loaded. Gee then made a play at third to get the runner advancing and to get the second out of the inning. Giles then faced the leadoff batter for Logan and promptly struck him out to get the complete game win.
| Steven Giles was the pitcher against Logan. |
Emery had eight hits in the game. Draper also had a single. Dave Justice hit two doubles in the game and Gee had two singles in the game. Tanner and Blake Mortensen also had singles.
In the second game of the day, Emery faced the team with the best record in the state and the number one ranked team by both Salt Lake City newspapers and last season’s runner-up in the state tournament.
Emery started Kyler Edgehouse in the game despite his having been on the sidelines the last little while as he is suffering through an illness. Despite being a little rusty and a lot fatigued, he pitched two good innings before he wore out and Judge hit him well. He got the Bulldogs out with a single hit in the first inning and gave up an opening double in the second inning that eventually led to a run. In the third inning, Kyler gave up four hits and a walk that led to three more runs. He also struck out three batters.
Emery was able to score a single run in the second inning as Edgehouse singled and eventually scored as Giles had a single and the rbi. Emery’s only other run came in the fourth inning as Gee singled, got to second base on a wild pitch and then scored on a Tanner single.
Judge scored twice more in the fourth inning and then added six runs in the fifth inning to end the game. In the third inning, Emery had an opportunity to score runs as Kade Jones, Draper and Justice all got on base with only one out but failed to score a run.
Emery will now face Delta this Thursday in Spanish Fork at 11 a.m. The winner will play later that afternoon and the loser will go home. Region foes Delta and Juan Diego also split their games last Saturday and Carbon last both of theirs.