Calvin Jensen, Sports Information Director, Utah State Eastern
Photo courtesy of USU Eastern Athletics
Utah State Eastern baseball opened the new Ernie Gardner Field in emphatic fashion, winning three of four games against College of Southern Idaho in their first home series of the season. The Eagles showcased dominant pitching and explosive offensive performances to secure the series victory.
Eastern wasted no time making history on their new field, cruising to an 11-1 win in five innings.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first, USU Eastern responded in the second with a solo home run from Bodee Goins to tie the game. The third inning saw Eastern take control, as Jake Lindsay’s two-run single and a sacrifice fly from Goins put them ahead 4-1.
The floodgates opened in the fourth, where the USU Eastern scored seven runs. Zak Nelson’s RBI triple, Truman Duryea’s run-scoring single, and a combination of stolen bases and walks extended the lead. By the end of the inning, Eastern had a commanding 11-1 advantage.
Landon Salvesen was brilliant on the mound, tossing a complete-game five-inning performance, allowing just one run on six hits while striking out nine.
The second game followed a similar pattern, with USU Eastern breaking the game open early.
After conceding a first-inning run, Eastern erupted for eight runs in the second. Peyton Adams got things started with a two-run single, followed by Zak Nelson’s two-RBI hit, a run-scoring single from Duryea, and a two-run triple from Hunter Gatti. Gatti then stole home to cap off the massive inning.
McGwire Jephson added an RBI in the fourth, and another run in the sixth sealed the 10-1 victory.
Harley Vicchrilli was outstanding, pitching six innings and allowing just one run while striking out four. Griffen Bone closed out the game with a scoreless seventh inning.
USU Eastern continued their dominance in the third game of the series, shutting out the Golden Eagles behind a stellar performance from Kade Hansen.
Eastern wasted no time, scoring six runs in the first inning. Jake Lindsay’s two-run double, Hunter Gatti’s RBI double, and Bodee Goins’ run-scoring single set the tone. They added runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings to complete the 9-0 win.
Hansen was lights-out, allowing just two hits over seven shutout innings while striking out seven.
CSI salvaged the final game of the series, shutting out Utah State Eastern 8-0 behind a late offensive surge.
After five scoreless innings, the Golden Eagles broke through with a run in the fifth. They exploded for five runs in the seventh and added two more in the eighth to secure their first win of the series.
USU Eastern (17-13, 3-5) will hit the road to take on Colorado Northwestern (8-25, 3-5) in a doubleheader on Friday, April 4 at noon in Rangely, Colorado.