Emery Spartan baseball jumped into the state playoffs on Saturday, traveling to Nephi, home to the No.1 team in 3A the Juab Wasps. The Spartans faced the Summit Academy Bears in the opening game, getting a hard-earned 2-1 win, and moving into the next round to face Juab. In the game with the Wasps, Emery stayed close early but lost 5-2.
The Spartans finished the regular season 11-13 with a 5-7 mark in Region 12 play. Sitting at the No.8 spot in the final RPI meant the road trip for their opening round games.
In the first game, they would meet up with No.9 Summit Academy. The No. 8 team facing the No. 9 team on paper meant it should be a close game, and true to form it was.
Neither team could really get started offensively, in fact, the only Summit Academy run came off of a dropped third strike in the top of the sixth. In the bottom half of the inning, Emery would tie up the score when Wade Stilson came home on a passed ball.
With the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, a well-placed Evan Christensen single to right drove in Sean Rogers giving the Spartans the 2-1 win.
In the win Stilson was 3-3 scoring one run, Rogers was 1-3 with a run scored, and Christensen 1-3 with an RBI.
Stilson also earned the win on the mound giving up four hits one earned and 11 strikeouts.
Next up was a meeting with the No. 1 team in 3A, host Juab.
The Spartans jumped out to a short-lived 2-0 lead in the second inning when Mason Stilson doubled to left scoring Hayden Christiansen and Peyton Alton, but that would end the scoring for the Spartans.
Mason Stilson was 2-3 from the plate with a pair of RBI’s, Gannon Ward was also 2-3 and Alton had a run scored.
A pair of hurlers took to the mound for the Spartans, Trevin Gilbert would take the loss giving up five hits, three earned runs, and struck out one. Ward, would also log some time, surrendering three hits, one earned, and one strikeout.
Emery will be on the road Tuesday, to face No. 7, Ogden. With a win, they will take on either Union or Richfield on Thursday at Kearns High School.