On Tuesday, the Emery Spartan baseball team was still searching for their first win when they traveled to Vernal to face the Uintah Utes. The first two innings were all about offense for both teams, but the Utes would find another three runs and handed the Spartans their second loss of the season, 9-7.
Emery opened the season at home with the defending 3A Champion Union Cougars falling 6-3.
The Spartans hit the ground running at the top of the first when Treven Gilbert was intentionally walked to load the bases. Garrett Conover stepped up to the plate and sent a grounder to left field that drove in Hayden Christiansen and Hayden Abrams. Bronx Olsen came up to bat with a pair of outs with two on and connected on a line drive to center that brought home Gilbert to put Emery ahead 3-0 headed to the bottom of the inning.
Uintah found offense in the first and added three runs to tie things up, heading to the second. In the second, with the bases loaded, Abrams found his pitch with a 1-2 count and sent it over the wall in left field to bring everyone home with a grand slam, putting the Spartans back in front 7-3.
Uintah found three runs in the inning to cut the Spartan lead to 7-6 and then went quiet for an inning. The Utes would score two on a double in the bottom of the fourth, all while holding Emery scoreless as they took a slight lead at 8-7.
In the bottom of the sixth, Uintah added one more run and, in the top of the seventh, got three outs on four batters as Cooper Kay walked one but got out of the inning to secure the win for the Utes, 9-7.
Abrams had three hits with four RBIs and scored two runs for the Spartans. Christiansen had two hits and scored two runs; Beau Stilson collected two hits and one run scored; Conover had two RBIs and one hit, and Olsen earned one hit and an RBI.
Jace Frandsen got the start on the mound, going two innings and giving up six runs, three earned on two hits. Conover would come in to go 3.1 innings, surrendering three earned runs on two hits and striking out six, and Trygg Jensen went the rest of the way, giving up two hits.
Emery will return to work starting Thursday with a Varsity Tournament in Moab at Grand High School.