Last week the Emery High baseball team faced maybe their toughest region opponent not just once but twice and each time the Spartans defeated the Grand High Red Devils, once at home and once on the road. Emery outlasted Grand on Tuesday at home 5-4 and then went on the road and returned with an easier 6-3 region win.
Emery continued with their display of plentiful pitching as seniors Dillon Wilstead and Tyson Roper started the two games and each left as a winner. Senior Ridge Nielson pitched a little in relief in both games as he closed out each for a save. Wilstead had 10 strikeouts in the first game and Roper had seven in the second game.
Wilstead had a triple in each game and Ethan Tuttle had a double in each game and the Spartans had a total of 19 base hits in the two games. Tuttle had two base hits in each game and Wilstead had two in the first and Nielson and Mark Debry each had two in the second game.
At home, Emery scored a single run in the second inning after Roper got on base due to an error, Debry had a single to advance him and Easton Gordon had a sacrifice to score him. In the third inning, Emery started things with a walk followed by a Nielson bunt for an out to advance the runner and then Tuttle and Wilstead had their extra base hits and Emery scored three runs to go up 4-0.
In the fourth inning, Race Nielson walked and scored on a double by Tanner Lake in what became the all-important winning run. Emery led 5-0.
In the top of the seventh inning with Emery up 5-0, the first Grand batter ground out to the second baseman but then the next six batters had singles, none of them hard hit but enough to land in an open spot and Emery’s once comfortable lead was down to just one run when Ridge came in on relief and got the final two outs and preserved the victory.
At Grand, Emery again went up big by scoring two runs in the first inning and three more in the fourth inning to again lead 5-0. Grand scored twice in the bottom of the fourth and once more in the sixth inning while Emery added an insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Two Spartan errors aided the Devils in that fourth inning. In the first inning, the first six Emery batters got on base but the Spartans managed just the two runs as several fielder’s choices came into play.
Tuttle and Roper scored for the two runs. In the fourth inning, Lake led off with a base on balls followed by an out. Gordon singled to advance Lake and then the Spartan had another out. With two out and two on, Ridge walked and Ethan Tuttle then doubled to score the runs.
Wilstead doubled in the seventh and scored after Debry singled.
Emery will play four varsity games this week. Emery will host Wasatch Academy in a double-header on Tuesday in a pair of region games, they will play away at Union on Wednesday in a non-region game and will close out the week with a game at home against South Sevier on Friday.
All games are scheduled to start at 3:30 pm.
Emery baseball defeats Grand at home/on road
"Pitcher Ridge Nielson closes out both games against Grand."