
Trevin Wakefield tossed a five inning gem as the Emery Spartans opened the baseball season with a dynamic 10-1 win over the Manti Templars Tuesday afternoon at Cheddar Field in Castle Dale.
The Emery bats delivered run support immediately as the team scored six in the first two frames. Spreading 11 hits over six innings, the lead was never in doubt due to a dominant performance at the plate.
Wakefield allowed just two hits as he fanned six batters in five innings of work. Ryker Jensen helped record the final six outs as he allowed one hit and tallied three strikeouts.
Jensen left fingerprints all over the season opener as he also helped pace the offense. Finishing 2-3 at the plate, Jensen ended with three RBI and swiped two bases. The success in the box was contagious as Emery scored in all but two innings.
Junior center fielder Gannon Ward ended 3-4 with a single, double and triple as he too brought in three runs. Tyler Stilson, Wade Stilson and Oakley Alton each finished with two hits. Easton Nielson and Mason Stilson both logged doubles to round out the team’s 11 hits.
The Spartans played the season opener at Cheddar Field due to construction on the new baseball complex at Emery High School. The projected finish date is set for late March, which will cause the team to play one more game at the alternate site this Friday.
The Friday tilt will place the Spartans up against the North Sanpete Hawks, who also opened up the regular season on Tuesday. Despite holding an early lead, the Hawks allowed an eight run third inning that was too much to overcome in an eventual 11-9 loss to Providence Hall.
Friday’s game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.. The Spartans will then travel for the remainder of the month before returning home on April 1 for a home region meeting with the Canyon View Falcons.
Recently Emery manager Rob Smith was a guest on KOAL’s Drive Time Sports. The complete season preview interview is available below: