By Cory McKendrick, USU Eastern Sports Information Contributor:
Douglas, AZ – The Utah State University Eastern baseball team traveled as far south west as you could travel in the U.S. to Douglas, AZ to play a four-game series against the Cochise Community College Apaches. Day one ended in two hard fought battles with final results as losses for the Eagles. The scores were 2-8 in game one and 11-13 in game two.
Game one was a seven-inning contest that featured Karter Pope on the mound for the Eagles. The Eagles scored first in the top of the second inning on a two-out base hit from Hunter Lasko to score Parker Buys who had reached on a walk. The Apaches rallied in the next half inning to score 3 runs to answer back.
Buys and Lasko again got things going for the Eagles as Lasko drove in Buys who reached on a single in the top of the 4th inning. After a scoreless top of the 5th the Apaches tacked on an additional run in the bottom half of the fifth and then 3 more runs in the 6th. The two big innings for Cochise proved to be the difference maker as they held USU E scoreless in the last three innings of play to win game one 8-2.
Buys scored the two runs for the Eagles, Lasko had the two RBI and Dylan Rodriguez was 3-4 at the plate. The Eagles scored 2 runs on 8 hits, drawing 2 walks and playing a clean defensive game. Karter Pope was charged with the loss as he surrendered 4 runs on 5 hits, striking out 4 in his 4 innings of work.
Game two was a full nine-inning game that featured a ton of offense from both sides. The offense got started early in the top of the 1st with Dylan Sanchez homering to left-center field scoring Rodriguez who had reached base with a single. Cochise answered with a run in the bottom half of the 1st. In the next three innings the Apaches added 12 more runs.
Entering the top of the 5th, the Eagles trailed 13-2. They were able to hold the Apache offense scoreless for the rest of the game and tally 9 of their own runs, but their comeback efforts fell just short, trailing 13-11 after the top of the 9th. Cody Lowe was a big part of holding the Cochise offense as he threw 4 scoreless frames after coming in to help stop the big inning in the 4th. Lowe surrendered two runs in the 4th giving up 3 hits. Hayden Brock was dealt the loss in the game.
Rodriguez had another excellent game at the plate going 3-4 with a double and 2 runs scored. Sanchez was 2-3 with a HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored and a walk. Ethan Udy was 1-3 at the plate with a HR, 3 RBI and 2 runs scores. Ryder Peterson chipped in a hit and 2 RBI as well.
“We had many chances to be right in these ball games. Walks hurt us today in both of the games. The team came together in game two and fought back from an 11-run deficit and cut it down to only 2 runs. Cody (Lowe) came in out of the bullpen and allowed us to stay in the game. We are progressively getting better each game. Just little things are the difference in winning and losing these close games.” Head Coach Kirk Haney said of his team’s effort.
The following day, for the third straight game the Eagles scored first in game 3 versus Cochise Community College. The lone run early from the Utah State University Eastern team wasn’t quite enough as they lost game one 10-3. The thorn in the side of the Eagles was a big inning in the third when the Apaches scored 6 runs.
Bright spots in game one was Hunter Lasko and Dylan Rodriguez. They both doubled in the game, with Rodriguez’ double driving in two runs for the Eagles.
In game two Parker Buys started on the mound for USU E. He pitched through 4 innings and left the ball game with his team trailing 6-1. The comeback started in the top of the 5th inning. Drew Staley got the inning going with a double. Karter Pope followed by a huge momentum building homerun bringing the score to 6-3.
Ethan Udy kept the momentum going with a single, followed by a Rodriguez single and a Dawson Hall walk. Dylan Sanchez delivered a 2 RBI single to left field scoring Udy and Rodriguez. Hall later scored on an Apache miscue to tie the game at 6. Cochise scored 2 in the following inning and this was the last time they would score in the game. With the current score of 8-6 in favor of Cochise, the flood gates of offense were opened for USU E.
Pope singled and was driven in by an Ethan Udy homer, Udy’s second homerun of the series. Cooper Ohlson broke the tie after a Hall double, a Sanchez and Ryder Peterson walk, with a single that plated two. This gave the Eagles the lead and they never looked back. USU E scored 5 in the 7th inning, 1 in the 8th and 4 in the 9th to win the last game of the series 18-8.
Kaden Stewart was credited with the win and came in and threw 4 scoreless innings in relief, good enough for the win on the mound.Notables on offense for the Eagles were E. Udy who was 2-5 with a HR and 2 RBI. Sanchez was 3-4 with 3 RBI and Pope was 3-5 with a HR and 4 RBI.
The Eagles are scheduled to play their first home games on February 21st and 22nd against Dawson Community College. These will be the next games they play. They play the following weekend of February 28th and 29th against the Utah State University club team, and then start conference play.
**Photo by Casey Porritt.