After 11 months, the Spartan baseball squad was back on the field Tuesday in Roosevelt to face the Union Cougars. Holding a comfortable five-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Spartans had to hold off a scoring barrage by the Cougars to secure the 5-4 win.

The Spartans closed out the 2023 season with a 12-15 record including a 5-7 region mark. A loss to Juab would drop them into the consolation round, setting up a meeting with Ogden that ended the Spartans season.

In the top of the second Turner Stoker got on base after being hit by a pitch. The next batter up was Trevin Gilbert who sent a single to left field advancing Stoker to second, Braxton Butler would enter the game as a courtesy runner for Gilbert. With two outs on the board, Hayden Abrams would reach on a passed third strike, and Butler would score on an error by the catcher.

Things would get quiet until the top of the sixth when the Spartans would get things rolling again when Hayden Christiansen and Stoker smacked back-to-back singles. Then with Stoker on first and Christiansen on second Gilbert would bunt out to the pitcher allowing Christiansen to score. Trygg Jensen came to the plate sending a double to center as Quayd Oveson crossed the plate, putting the score at 3-0.

With two outs in the top of the seventh and with Alex Hansen on second base Stoker would earn a walk and in the next at-bat, Gilbert sent a grounder to the second basemen reaching on an error that allowed Hansen and Butler to score, pushing the score to 5-0. Things would get a little tense in the bottom of the seventh when the Cougars rallied to put four runs on the board, but Emery was able to shut them down earning the 5-4 win.

Jensen had a pair of hits and collected an RBI for the Spartans. Abrahms, Christiansen, Stoker, Gilbert, Wade Stilson, and Kade Larsen all collected hits in the win.

On the mound, Gilbert earned the win going five innings giving up just one hit and striking out six. Stoker went 1.1 innings giving up four runs on one hit fanning a pair of batters. Stilson would come in to collect the save striking out two for the Spartans.

Emery will head to St. George for the Pineview tournament.

They welcome Uintah to Castle Dale on Monday with game time set for 3:00 p.m..