The Spartan baseball squad traveled to Manti to face the Templars in game one of the best-of-three series. Emery jumped out early to take a lead and never looked back, earning the 8-0 win.
Emery was ready for this game, and it showed early. After a Hayden Christiansen single, Trevin Gilbert sent a double to left to bring him in. A Bronx Olsen sacrifice to advance Gilbert to third, and a Garrett Conover single to right brought Gilbert home. With two outs and Conover on first, Beau Stilson stepped up and slammed a double to center, driving Conover in to give Emery a 3-0 lead.
A Conover single in the third drove Christiansen home, giving the Spartans a four-run lead.
Things went quiet for the next three innings, but in the seventh, the Spartans got back to work and were ready to put the contest away.
A Tyce Larsen double started Emery’s inning. Christiansen came up next, getting on base with a single. Gilbert came to the plate, hitting a grounder to short and reaching on an error, bringing Larsen home. Olsen would hit a sacrifice fly to right, driving in Christiansen. Conover was up next, getting hit by a pitch, then Peyton Nielson came up and hit into a fielder’s choice, driving Frandsen in to score. Stilson would return to the plate and send a sacrifice fly to left to bring Nielson home to put the score at 8-0.
The Spartans kept the Templars at arm’s length in the bottom of the eighth to earn the win.
Christiansen went 3-4 at the plate with three runs for Emery. Stilson was 3-4 with a pair of RBIs, Conover went 2-3 with a pair of runs and RBIs, and Gilbert went 2-4 with a pair of RBIs and a run scored in the win.
Hayden Abrams pitched a gem, getting the complete game win, giving up four hits and no runs while striking out five.
The two teams will play again on Friday, starting with game two at 1:00 p.m. If Emery wins, they will advance to take on the Morgan/ South Summit game winner on May 12 at Utah Valley University. Morgan leads this series after their win on Thursday.
If the Spartans lose, they will play game three immediately following game two.