Lady Spartan softball was back on the diamond last weekend as they traveled to Vernal to take part in the Uintah Tournament. Schools from around the region came to play, and after the Lady Spartans started the weekend by taking on the host team, Uintah, and then facing Skyridge on Saturday, they are still searching for their first win of the season after going 0-2.

The Lady Spartans went 22-13 overall and 12-2 in region play last season. After a loss in the quarterfinals Emery had to fight their way back into the championship round fallilng to Grantsville.

Emery opened play against the host team, the Uintah Utes. Uintah used a big fourth to put things out of reach, taking the 13-3 win.

In the first, the Spartans would get on the board when Bailey Luke grounded into a fielder’s choice, driving in Elly Stilson, to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, the Utes tied things up, but then both teams went quiet in the second.

Uintah added three in the third and then another nine in the fourth, taking a 13-1 lead into the top of the fifth.

The Spartans came up in the top of the fifth, and with two outs, Zadriee Norton sent a grounder to first and reached on an error. Stilson came to the plate and drilled a grounder to center field to get on base. Hadley Larsen stepped into the batter’s box and would hit a double to center, bringing in Norton and Stilson, but the Lady Spartan rally would come up short as Emery fell 13-3.

Stilson went 1-3, scoring a pair of runs in the game. Larsen was 1-3 with a pair of RBIs, and Luke went 1-3 with an RBI. Morgan Tuttle registered one hit, and Notron logged a run in the loss.

Allison Jeffs got the start at pitcher, going three innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on three hits, and struck out one. Aliee Wilde came in, giving up four earned, and Brielle Tuttle took the loss with four runs, two earned on one hit.

The next game of the weekend came against the Skyridge Falcons. This game was fairly competitive, but the Lady Spartans still came up just short, 10-9.

When the Spartans got their first at-bat, they were already down 4-0, after the Falcons found offense in the top of the first. Emery would start to whittle away at the Skyridge lead in the bottom of the frame when Stoker stepped in and hit a fly ball to right to bring Stilson in.

The second would see the Falcons add three more to stretch their lead to 7-1, with Emery getting their turn next.

Morgan Tuttle would start off the inning with a bunt to get to first. Brielle Tuttle was up next and would ground out to the shortstop, but Morgan Tuttle would score off of an error. Norton would get on base after a single to center with two outs, and Stilson came up to the plate, sending one over the left field wall, bringing Norton in and cutting the Falcon lead to 7-4.

Skyridge would push its lead to 8-4 in the top of the fifth, but Emery was done fighting, and in the bottom of the inning, Stilson would score on a passed ball in a Stoker at bat, then with two outs, Morgan Tuttle hit a grounder to second reaching on an error that also alllowed Kembree Miller and Larsen to score to get the Lady Spartans with in one at 8-7.

The Falcons found a way to turn the offense on once again to push the lead to 10-7, and when Emery came up in the bottom of the sixthlooking to secure its first win of the season. With one out, Norton got on base with a single to right. Stilson came up to bat next and collected a double off a fly ball to left. LArsen stepped in next and grounded out to the shortstop, but it gave Norton the chance to score. Luke came to the plate next, and during her at bat, Stilson scored on a passed ball to push the score to 10-9, but that would be as close as the Lady Spartans could get as they would take their second loss of the weekend.

Stilson went 4-4 with four runs scored and two RBIs. Norton went 2-3 with a pair of runs. Larsen was 1-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and Morgan Tuttle was 1-4 with a run scored.

Allison Jeffs took the loss with 10 runs, five earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts through seven innings.

The Lady Spartans will be back on the diamond on Friday when they face Ridgeline in the opening game of the St. George Tournament.