Lady Spartans trounce Rams, shut out Tigers

Josie Luke

Solid play on defense brought the Emery High Spartans Softball team two wins last week against the South Sevier Rams and the Hurricane Tigers. The Spartans trounced the Rams 7-1 on March 25 and the Tigers 3-0 on March 26. Senior Pitcher Leslee Lake also continued her dominating pitching, racking up seven strikeouts in the first game and eight more in the second game shutout.

As well as the team played, Coach Beau Potter thinks they can do better. “We’re still scuffling a little bit defensively, but the girls have made huge strides. It’s important to remember that we’re still progressing in all areas of the game. We’ve been playing well, but definitely have room, not to mention potential, to improve,” he explained. “Ultimately, that’s what excites me about this team.”

The Spartans scored one run on an RBI single by Bailey Kay in the first inning and led throughout the game against the Rams. Kay also brought in the second run with a double to center field in the fourth.

South Sevier scored their only run in the top of the sixth inning on the only double allowed by Lake. Emery responded, bringing in five runs in the bottom of the inning. Chelsea Skinner started the offense with an infield single, followed by Lake who reached base after being hit by a pitch. Kay then hit her second double of the game, bringing in Skinner for her third RBI.

Danovan Reed subbed into the game and performed immediately, bringing in two runs with the team’s second strait double. Then Markette Tanner drew a walk and Keera Allred reached base as a player for the Rams dropped a fly ball. Jalee Jensen then got out, but brought two runs in before the inning ended.

The Rams attempted to rally in the seventh, with the first hitter for the Rams hitting a double to left, but Emery again kept them from scoring, ending the game with a 7-1 win.

Emery’s game against Hurricane proved to be a defensive duel, with only 5 hits for the Spartans and 2 hits for the Tigers. Emery scored two runs in the top of the first inning, with Kay continuing to smash the ball hitting a double which brought Jensen and Skinner home, but the team didn’t score another run until the seventh.

Luckily, Lake was on fire from the beginning, striking out the first five batters she faced, and six of the first eight. In the seventh inning, the Spartans increased their lead on a sacrifice bunt by Allred that brought home Reed, who had again hit a double after subbing in late in the game.

This week the Spartans will play two home games, with Juan Diego coming to Emery on April 1 for a game at 2:30 p.m. and North Sanpete on April 3 at 2:30 p.m.

Spartan baseball team endures tough week

Josie Luke

Facing a Juan Diego team that Emery High Baseball coach Jimmy Jones calls “one of the best high school teams I’ve ever seen,” in two games and falling in extra innings to Uintah, the Spartans endured a difficult week.

On March 27, the Spartans traveled to Vernal for a game against Uintah. After a close game, the Utes pulled off the 11-10 win against the Spartans in the eighth inning, scoring on a suicide squeeze. For Emery, Jason Giles and Blake Mortensen each hit home runs in the game, with the team having a total of six hits in the game.

The next day Emery faced Juan Diego in a double header, losing the first game 19-0 and the second 15-4. In the first game, the Eagles jumped out to a 12-0 lead on the Spartans in the first inning, and the game ended in the fifth inning without a score from the Spartans.

The second game started out well with Emery ahead 3-2 in the third, but Juan Diego then scored 10 strait runs to put the Spartans away. Emery improved their hitting, having 11 hits in the game after having only 4 in the first game.

The Spartans will play two games at home this week, facing North Sanpete on April 4 at 3:30 p.m. and playing a make-up game against Uintah on April 5 at noon.