| First baseman Ryne Jones holds the runner on first. |
The Emery high baseball team hosted the Delta Rabbits in a region 8 doubleheader last Tuesday and earned a split in the two games. Emery lost a close game 3-2 in the opener and then won the second game 5-1.
Gatlan Huntington pitched a complete game in the opener and held Delta to three runs in the seven-inning game. Delta scored a single run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Emery scored their two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Delta pitching pretty much stifled the Emery batters all game as the Spartans were only able to get three base hits in the game and only one batter garnered a walk.
In the seventh inning, Derrick Allred led off the inning by getting on base due a Delta shortstop error. Brett Mecham followed with a base hit and both would score in the inning. The runners advanced on a bunt by Addison Collard that the pitcher fielded and threw Collard out at first. Allred scored on a ground out by Gatlan and Mecham scored on a hit by Colby Snow that was booted by the Delta second baseman.
In the second game, Mecham pitched the complete game and got the win. Mecham got Delta’s first batter to ground out and then, after giving up a single, Mecham got the next batter to hit into a double play in the first inning. In the second inning, after giving up two hits and a walk, Mecham pitched out of the jam and ended the inning with two strikeouts as Delta left the bases loaded. Delta hit into another doubleplay in the third inning as the Emery defense played pretty well in the two games. Delta went down 1-2-3 in the next three innings and then Delta scored their only run of the game in the seventh inning. A single and an Emery error led to the run but Mecham followed with a strikeout and induced the final batter to ground out to shortstop.
Emery scored all five of their runs in the second inning. After three up, three down in the first inning, Blake Mortensen led off the second inning with a single. Jordan Gee advanced the runner on a ground out and then Mecham followed with a single. Colby Snow then singled to score Mortensen. Huntington then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Mecham. Skyler Jensen walked and Taylor Tanner hit a triple to score Snow and Jensen and Tanner scored on a single by Jason Giles.
Brett Mecham was the only other base runner the rest of the game for the Spartans. Mecham singled in the third inning, stole second base and stole third base but did not make it home.
Emery will now host Carbon in a doubleheader Tuesday and travel to Delta on Friday for a single game.