The Lady Spartan softball squad ended the regular season at 17-11 and was 12-2 in region play, earning them the No. 4 spot in the final RPI and starting the postseason with wins over Canyon View and South Summit. They faced a very familiar foe in the quarterfinals, the Grantsville Cowboys. Last season, the Cowboys were responsible for Emery’s exit, and this time around, it was a 9-8  loss that dropped the Lady Spartans into the one-loss bracket. Emery went on a tear with wins in the next three games over Richfield, South Summit, and Morgan, working their way back into the Championship Game, where they again faced Grantsville. The Spartan season would come to an end 11-1.

Below is a recap of the 2025 Lady Spartan softball season.

March 7 & 8- Vernal Tournament

The Emery girls softball squad traveled to Vernal over the weekend to get a start to the 2025 softball season. Playing in a pair of games, the Lady Spartans suffered a 10-4 loss against host Uintah and a 9-7 loss to Skyridge, starting the season at 2-0.

Emery ended last season at 21-8 overall, entering the State Championships as the No. 1 seed but eventually falling to Grantsville in the Championship game.

In game one, they faced the host Uintah Utes from the 4A class. The Utes used a big third inning to put the game out of Emery’s reach, as they would take a 10-4 win.

With two out in the top of the first, Rheagan Rhoten sent a grounder to left field, earning her a double and an RBI, as Kali Jensen scored to put the Spartans on top 1-0. Uintah held Emery scoreless in the top of the second but added one of their own in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score up.

In the third, after holding the Spartans scoreless in the top of the inning, Uintah found their offense in the bottom half, adding seven runs, taking an 8-1 lead to the fourth. In their at-bat, Emery found some offense when Kallee Lake hit a line drive and reached on an error by the second baseman that allowed Aleeyah Cowley to score from second. The next batter was TaiLynn Minchey, who sent a shot to the center that brought home Hadley Larsen from third. Elly Stilson came to the plate, taking an illegal pitch, and then looked at strike one. Minchey would get caught trying to steal second, but it allowed Lake to score from third, and Stilson would ground out to end the inning. Uintah would come out in the bottom of the fifth and add two more runs, taking the 10-4 win.

Rhoten ended the game with a pair of hits and earned an RBI. Cowley and Lake each collected one run, Minchey had a hit and a run scored, and Katelyn Nielson and Bailey Luke each collected a hit.

Lake got the start on the mound, going two innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on five hits, and struck out three.  Rhoten entered the contest going four and gave up three runs on three hits.

On Saturday, the Spartans faced off with the Skyridge Falcons from Lehi. The Falcons play in the 6A class and battled with Emery until they earned the 9-7 win.

The two teams were evenly matched, and the game was close throughout. Once again, Rhoten got things started for Emery, with a double to the right, scoring Jensen to give the Lady Spartans the 1-0 lead. Emery’s defense would hold the Falcons scoreless in the bottom half of the inning. Lake would single to right field, driving in Larsen in the process, to give Emery a 2-0 lead headed to the bottom of the second, where Skyridge would add a couple of their own to tie things up at 2-2.

In the third, Rhoten grounded out to the shortstop as Minchey would score. The Falcons regained the lead in their at-bat to go up by one, and after holding Emery scoreless in the fourth, put two more on the board to give their lead a 6-3 cushion. In the top of the fifth, Morgan Tuttle, who entered the game as a courtesy runner, would score, cutting the lead to two, but Skyridge would turn around and add another pair of runs.

They would make their final run at the top of the seventh with the Spartans down 9-5. With two on, Cowley came up to the plate and ground out to second base, which would bring Luke home. The next batter up, Elli Stoker, sent a single to center field, and Stilson would score to put the score at 9-7, but the Falcons would close the game out to get the win.

Stoker collected three hits and an RBI for Emery. Rhoten had one hit and a pair of RBIs, Lake collected one hit and an RBI, Stilson, Jensen, and Luke each had one hit and a run scored. Minchey scored a run, and Cowley registered an RBI in the loss.

Rhoten started on the bump, going one inning and giving up two runs, one earned, on two hits. Lake closed the game, surrendering seven runs, two earned, on five hits while striking out seven.

March 11- @ Carbon

The Lady Dinos started the season on Tuesday when they welcomed the Emery Spartans to Price. The Lady Spartans put up four runs in the first inning and added to it, handing Carbon an 8-2 loss.

Carbon was supposed to get things rolling last Friday on the road in Gunnison, but the game was cancelled due to inclement weather. This meant they would open the season with a region tilt against the Spartans. On the other hand, Emery was searching for its first win of the season, sitting at 0-2.

The Spartans got on the board early, scoring four in the top of the first, with three runs coming off the bat of Elly Stilson, hitting an inside-the-park home run to left field, driving in Kali Jensen and Bailey Luke. Emery added two more runs in the top of the second in back-to-back at-bats when Jensen sent a fly ball to left for a double that scored Kaitlyn Thomas. In the next at bat, Elli Stoker would hit a line drive to left, driving in Jensen, putting the score at 6-0 for the Spartans.

At the bottom of the third, the Lady Dinos found some offense, as Brailee Peterson would ground out, but Aleece Ardohain was able to cross home plate to get Carbon on the board. Danica Adams was up next and would pop out to the right field, but it gave Shayla Penovich time to tag up and get the score to 6-2.

Nothing would happen until the top of the seventh when Emery added a pair of runs, one off the bat of Katelyn Nielson, who fired a grounder to second base as Hadley Larsen would score. Then Luke sent another hard grounder toward second, driving in Nielson. The Lady Spartans held on to take the 8-2 win.

For the Dinos, Penovich collected a pair of hits and a run, Ardohain logged a run and a hit, and Petersen and Adams each earned an RBI.

Adams took the loss, pitching a complete game, giving up seven hits, four earned runs, and striking out nine.

Luke had three hits, two RBIs, and scored one run. Jensen collected a pair of hits with two runs and an RBI. Stilson added one run and one hit with her three RBIs in the win.

Lake pitched a complete game, surrendering 10 hits, a pair of earned runs, and six strikeouts.

March 12-  vs. Richfield

Behind a monstrous second inning and a four-RBI performance from Kaitlyn Thomas, the Lady Spartan softball team earned a 14-2 win over Richfield in the home opener on Wednesday. In what was indeed a team effort, Emery scattered 13 hits across four innings to move to 2-2 overall and 2-0 in Region 12 play.

Emery was ready to take on the Wildcats for the season opener. There is a tremendous rivalry between these two schools, and it doesn’t matter what sport; you know fireworks will be on the field.

Emery got one run on the board in the first inning when Bailey Luke would ground out to the shortstop, but it was just enough to let TaiLynn Minchey score from third. But that was just a precursor for what would happen in the bottom of the second.

With the score 2-0, Thomas came up to the plate and sent a single line drive to the right field, which brought Elly Stilson and Kallee Lake home to score. With two outs on the scoreboard, the Spartans would find another gear. With two on base, Katelyn Nielson stepped up to the plate, sending a triple to deep center that allowed Minchey and Kali Jensen to score, making the score 7-0. Elli Stoker singled to center field the next at bat, as Nielson would score. Next batter up was Stilson, who sent a triple to left field, bringing Hadley Larsen home, who had entered the game as a courtesy runner for Stoker, but the Lady Spartans weren’t done. Aleeyah Cowley sent a single to second that let Stilson score.  Emery added two more runs in the inning to push the score to 12-0.

Richfield added runs in the third and the fifth innings, but Emery wasn’t finished.

Getting back to work in the bottom of the fourth, Lake sent a fly ball to short and advanced to second on an error that allowed Stilson to score. The next batter up, Thomas, grounded out to the shortstop, but Cowley would sneak home to make the score 14-2. Emery held Richfield scoreless in the top of the fifth, ending the game.

Thomas had four RBIs on two hits and scored a run for Emery. Stilson had three hits with three runs and an RBI. Lake, Stoker, and Minchey each had two hits, Minchey added two runs, Nielson had one run, and Stoker had an RBI.

Lake earned the complete game, giving up two runs on five hits and striking out eight.

March 14 & 15- Snow Canyon Tournament

Lady Spartan softball spent the weekend in St. George for the Snow Canyon tournament. Emery earned one win and suffered three losses when it was time to head home, moving their record to 3-5 overall.

The Lady Spartans played four games in two days, facing teams from Payson, Mountain Ridge (Herriman), Salem Hills, and Hurricane.

Game number one was a match-up with the Payson Lions, out of the 4A ranks. Going five innings, the Lions handed the Spartans a 12-1 loss.

A big second inning powered Payson, scoring five runs, allowing the Lions to build an insurmountable lead against Emery, who could only earn three hits, and they would collect one run. Defensively, they committed seven errors and allowed 12 hits.

Aleeyah Cowley went 1-1, scoring the lone run for the Spartans, Kallee Lake was 1-2 with an RBI, and Bailee Luke was 1-1 in the loss.

Lake started on the mound, going 3.1 innings, surrendering eight runs, five earned, on eight hits. Rheagan Rhoten went 1.2, giving up four runs, one earned, on two hits.

In the second game on Friday, the Spartans faced Mountain Ridge from Herriman. The Sentinels used big first and second innings to get out ahead of Emery to take an 11-1 win, handing the Spartans their second loss of the day.

Mountain Ridge scored nine runs in the first two innings, putting the Lady Spartans in the same position as in the previous game. Emery could only get one run across the plate as the contest ended in five innings.

Elli Stoker and Elly Stilson each went 1-2 in the contest, with the Spartans earning just two hits. When they were in the field, Emery committed five errors.

Lake got the start at pitcher, going three innings, giving up nine runs, two earned, on seven hits. Allison Jeffs finished out the game with three hits and two earned runs.

On Saturday, they would start by taking on the Salem Hills team. It was another rough outing for the Spartans, as they suffered another early-inning collapse, giving up 10 runs to the Skyhawks, who would take the 16-1 win.

The Skyhawks scored four runs in the first inning and 10 more in the second. Salem Hills added two more runs in the top of the fourth. Emery scored its only run in the bottom of the inning but dropped its third game in two days.

Luke went 1-2 with an RBI. Tailynn Minchey, Katelyn Nielson, and Stoker each had one hit in the game. Stilson scored the lone run.

Lake started in this one, going two innings and giving up 14 runs, five earned on nine hits. Jeffs went the rest of the way with a pair of runs on five hits, striking out one.

The Lady Spartans faced the Hurricane Tigers in the weekend’s final game. Emery saw this as their final chance to win, and they took advantage of it, earning a 6-4 win.

This time, the Spartans scored four runs in the second inning. They added two more in the later innings and held the Tigers to just four to earn the win.

Kalli Jensen went 2-3 from the plate, Minchey was 2-4 with a run scored, Kaitlyn Thomas went 1-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, and Nielson went 1-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.

Lake earned the complete game win, giving up four runs, three earned on five hits, and striking out seven.

March 20- vs. Manti

Emery softball hit the diamond for the first time since Thursday, March 15. They were scheduled to face Juab on March 18, but that game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on April 11. Thursday, they welcomed the Manti Templars to Castle Dale. The Lady Spartans had a huge third inning to put the game out of reach for Manti, as Emery earned an 11-2 win.

The Lady Spartans sit at 4-5 overall and 3-0 in region play. We will find out how they stack up against the rest of the field on April 3, when the initial RPI is released.

Emery was ahead 3-0 going into the bottom of the third when the bats came alive. The Lady Spartans got to work, putting up six runs in the inning, taking a commanding 9-0 lead. Manti came out in the top of the fourth, adding a pair of runs. Emery added one more in the bottom of the frame and then shut down the Templars for the rest of the game to take a 10-2 win.

Tailynn Minchey went 4-4 with a run and an RBI. Elly Stilson went 2-3, scoring a pair of runs. Five other Lady Spartans collected one hit, as Emery had 11 total hits in the contest.

Rheagan Rhoten got the start, going three innings and striking out one. Kallee Lake closed the game and gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits and striking out four.

March 21- vs. Delta

Emery Spartan softball is starting its drive toward the playoffs, and they seem to be putting things together. Coming off of back-to-back wins, they faced Delta on Friday and used a four-run second inning to hand the Rabbits a 10-0 loss.

Emery moves to 5-5 overall with the win, and they are a perfect 4-0 in Region 12.

Emery put runs on the board in four of five innings, starting in the first when they plated two. The second inning was when they found their stride as they would put four runs on the scoreboard and then follow that up with three in the third. Up 9-0 in the fifth, they would add one more to take a 10-run lead and the 10-0 win in five innings.

Elly Stilson went 1-3 with three runs scored and an RBI. Kallee Lake was 2-2, and Bailey Luke was 2-2 with an RBI in the win.

Lake got the start, going three innings and striking out six. Rheagan Rhoten went the rest of the way, giving up one hit and striking out four.

March 25- @ North Sanpete

The Lady Spartan softball team was on the road Tuesday in Mount Pleasant to take on the North Sanpete Hawks. Emery jumped out early but could not keep the pace, falling to the Hawks 6-3.

Emery had put together a three-game winning streak heading into the contest with North Sanpete, bringing its record to 5-5 overall and a perfect 4-0 in region play.

Emery jumped out to a quick lead in the first when Rheagan Rhoten stepped up to the plate with Elly Stilson on and crushed a home run into center field to take a 2-0 lead. They would add one more run in the top of the second to go up 3-0. Juab added a run in the third, two more in the fifth, and three more in the sixth to push the score to 6-3 to hand Emery the loss.

The Lady Spartans slide to 5-6 and were handed their first region loss of the season.

March 28- vs. Canyon View

March 29- Richfield Tournament

Lady Spartan softball had a busy weekend. It started Friday afternoon at home when it faced the Canyon View Falcons. Then, on Saturday, the team went on the road and faced three teams: San Juan, Beaver, and Juan Diego. Emery went 3-1 in the four games and moved their record to 8-7 overall and 5-1 in region play.

In the game on Friday with the Falcons, Emery used six hits to earn a hard-fought 8-7 win.

Canyon View quickly earned a 5-0 lead by the top of the third.  Emery finally got on the board at the bottom of the third when Kali Jensen hit a line drive to center and drove in Aleeyah Cowley. One batter later, Rheagan Rhoten sent one to center, driving in Jensen and Zadriee Norton to cut into the Falcons’ lead at 5-3. The Spartans would add three more in the fourth to get a one-run lead. Over the next three innings, Canyon View would retake the lead, going up by one, 7-6.

In the bottom of the seventh, with two on, Kallee Lake smashed a triple to right field to drive in Hadley Larsen and Hadley Grimm to take the 8-7 win.

Jensen went 1-4 with a run scored, and Lake went 1-4 with a pair of RBIs. Morgan Tuttle was 1-2 with a run, and Katelyn Nielson was 1-3 with a run.

Rhoten got the start, going 2.1 innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on four hits, striking out one. Lake closed the game, surrendered two runs on one hit, and struck out four.

In their first game on Saturday as part of the Richfield tournament, the Lady Spartans took on the San Juan Broncos.

Emery came up in the top of the second down 3-1, when Cowley stepped up to the plate with Nielson on first and hit a grounder to center to bring Nielson home. Cowley would score later in the inning on an error by the pitcher to tie the game at 3-3. Jensen was the next batter up, sending a single to left, and Norton and Elly Stilson both scored to give Emery a 5-3 lead. In the top of the fourth, Jensen collects an inside-the-park homerun to drive in Stilson, moving the score to 7-3. A Cowley home run got the score to 8-3 in the top of the fifth.

The Broncos added a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut into the Spartan lead 8-5.  Jensen added another run in the top of the sixth when Jensen sent a single to left driving Stilson home. in the next at bat Elli Stoker hit the third home run for Emery in the game driving Jensen home, putting the score at 11-5. San Juan would add three more runs on the bottom of the sixth, but the Lady Spartans would hold on to the 11-8 win.

Jensen was 3-4 with a home run, five RBIs, and three runs scored. Stoker was 1-3 with a home run, with 2 RBIs, and a run, and Cowley was 1-3, registering a home run with an RBI and two runs scored.

Lake got the start, going 3.1 with three earned runs and two hits, striking out three. Rhoten came in and gave up five runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out two.

The game against Beaver was a rough one for the Lady Spartans as the Beavers handed then a 15-2 loss.

Beaver jumped on the board in the first inning with six runs and then again in the second to go up 12-0  before the Spartans got on the board in the bottom of the frame when Cowley grounded out to short, but that would allow Lake to score. Beaver added three more runs in the next two innings. The Lady Spartans added their other run in the bottom of the fifth when Stilson grounded out to the pitcher, but Cowley did score to push the score to 15-2, and the Beavers closed out the Spartans.

Lake went 2-2 with a run scored, Cowley was 1-2 with an RBI and run scored, and Jensen went 1-3.

Lake also got the start with 13 runs, five earned on seven hits and three strikeouts. Rhoten got in some work wit two runs and one earned on three hits striking out four.

The final contest of the weekend was against the Juan Diego Screaming Eagle. Emery collected 14 hits to take the 16-1 win.

Emery started out adding seven runs on the first inning already up 3-0, Nielson sent a double to center and drove in Tailynn Minchey and Bailey Luke. Cowley doubled to left driving Nielson home. The inning would come to a close as Tuttle would send a single to the first baseman driving in Cowley to put the score at 7-0.

The Lady Spartans added four runs in the second and moving to the third with one out and with the score sitting at 14-0, Cowley stepped up to the plate, Luke scored on a passed ball and then Cowley hit a double to right driving in Nielson to put the score at 16-0.

Juan Diego put one run on the board in the bottom of the third as the Spartans closed it out, handing them a 16-1 loss.

Lake was 3-3 with two runs and two RBIs, Cowley went 3-3 with a pair of runs scored and four RBIs, and Luke went 3-3 with three runs and two RBIs in the win.

Lake started the contest, giving up two hits and striking out three. Rhoten closed it out, giving up one hit and one earned run.

April 8- @ Richfield

The Lady Spartans were on the road on Tuesday to face the Richfield Wildcats. Emery used a five-run second inning to put the contest out of reach, handing the Wildcats a 10-1 loss.

Emery sits at 9-7 overall and holds the No. 9 spot in the most recent RPI rankings, with 12 games to go.

Emery put up a pair of runs in the top of the first, but it was the second inning where they put the game away for good. After a Kallee Lake single, Katelyn Nielson stepped to the plate and sent a double to left, bringing home Hadley Larsen, who had entered the game as a courtesy runner for Lake. Kali Jensen came up to the plate and, due to an error on the center fielder, Nielson and Elly Stilson scored to push the score to 5-0.  Emery went on to add two more runs in the second to push the score to 7-0.

Emery scattered three runs through the final four innings. In the fourth,  Jensen scored on a Rheagan Rhoten single. Nielson would score on a Stilson single in th fifth, and in the seventh Nielson sent a double to center driving in Larsen to push the score to 10-0. The Wildcats added another run in the bottom of the seventh but, Emery’s defense would close the door on Richfield to take the win.

Nielson had a day going 3-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and scored two runs. Jensen was 2-3 with a run, Stilson was 1-4 scoring two runs and had one RBI.

Lake got the complete game start, giving up one earned run on two hits and striking out 10.

April 11- vs. Juab (Double Header)

April 12- Payson Tournament

The Emery Lady Spartans had a jam-packed weekend on the diamond. On Friday, they faced the Juab Wasps in a doubleheader in Castle Dale, winning in both contests. Then, on Saturday, they traveled for the Payson Tournament, taking on four teams from different classifications across the state, finishing the day 1-3.

The Spartans are 12-10 overall and 8-1 in Region 12, which places them second. They are also No. 6 in the latest RPI with six games left in the season.

On Friday, the Lady Spartans welcomed the Wasps from Juab to Castle Dale for a doubleheader rescheduled due to weather in March. Emery won both games, taking the first 11-0 and 5-0 in game two.

In the opening contest, Elli Stoker started the scoring in the third when she sent a home run ball over the left field wall, bringing Elly Stilson home to make the score 2-0. The Lady Spartans found offense again in the sixth inning; Bailey Luke started things with a single. Next up was Aleeyah Cowley, who sent a grounder to short, reaching second base on an error, and driving in Luke. Tailynn Minchey hit a fly ball to right, reaching base on an error and bringing home Cowley, and Kaitlyn Thomas to push the score to 7-0. Three batters later and with one out, Kallee Lake hit a grounder that gave both Minchey and Stilson the chance to score.  Kali Jensen came to the plate next, and during the at-bat, Hadley Larsen and Morgan Tuttle each scored on an error to put the score to 11-0. Emery would get the Wasps to go three up and three down in the bottom of the sixth to close out and take the win.

Stoker went 3-4 with three RBIs, Katelyn Nielson was 2-4 with an RBI, and Lake went 1-4 with a pair of RBIs in the win.

Lake got the complete game win with no runs and no hits, striking out six.

Emery won 5-0 in the second game of the doubleheader. There are no stats available at this time.

In Saturday’s opening game of the Payson Tournament, the Spartans faced the Desert Hills Thunder, the No. 2 team in 4A. Emery’s rally attempt in the bottom of the fifth wasn’t enough as the Thunder would take the win, 13- 6.

Desert Hills had a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth when Nielson came to the plate with one out and got the count to 2-2 when Emery pulled off a double steal as Larsen went to second and Stilson would steal home getting the Lady Spartans on the board 6-1. Larsen would score on a fielder’s choice, closing the gap to 6-2.

Desert Hills added seven runs in the top of the fifth to go up 13-2 heading to the bottom of the frame. Minchey sent one too short, and Hadley Grimm would score. One batter later, Stoker would step in and send a double to left, bringing home Minchey and Stilson to move the score to 13-5. Emery would add one more run to get the score to 13-6, and that would be where the game would end, with the Spartans taking the loss.

Jensen was 3-3 in the game for Emery. Stoker went 1-2 with two RBIs, and Minchey was 1-3 with a run and an RBI in the loss. Lake got the start, going 4.1 innings, giving up nine runs, five earned, on 10 hits, and striking out three. Allison Jeffs came in to close the game and gave up four earned runs on four hits.

Next was a contest with American Fork, the No. 12 team in 6A. The Spartans collected 17 hits and the win in a game that became a rout, 18-7.

In the first, it looked like the Cavemen would walk away with this one as they took a 6-2 lead after one, but Emery shut them down, allowing just one more run in the contest.

The fourth inning was electric as Emery would collect two two-run homers to put some distance between them and American Fork. Nielson stepped up and took the first pitch, looking at over the right field wall, bringing in Stoker. Three batters later, Cowley dug in and once again hit a first-pitch home run over the wall in center, bringing Jensen home and putting the score at 12-7.

In the top of the fifth, with the score still 12-7, Nielson smacked a ground ball hard to right, driving in Minchey and Stilson. Jensen stepped in with one out, and during her at-bat, Larsen scored on a wild pitch, and then Nielson scored on a ground ball to center. One batter later, with Cowley back at the plate, she sent a ground ball to center and drove in Jensen and Luke to push the score to 18-7. The Spartans would retire the side in the bottom of the frame to take the win.

Cowley had a big game, going 3-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Nielson would also collect a five-RBI game, going 1-4 with two runs, and Stoker was 4-4 with a run and an RBI.

Lake got the complete game, giving up seven runs, six earned, on seven hits and striking out five.

The next game was against the Spanish Fork Dons, the No. 11 team in 5A. Runs were at a premium in this one, as the game came down to one run; Spanish Fork earned the 1-0 win.

Emery held the Dons scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when they scored on an error. Emery had a chance in the top of the sixth, but Larsen was caught stealing, and the inning ended on a Nielson strikeout.

The Lady Spartans collected hits from Minchey, Stoker, Cowley, and Thomas.

Lake got the start, surrendering one run on three hits and striking out one.

The final game of the weekend was against the Duchesene Eagles, the No.2 team in 2A. Once again, the Spartans struggled at the plate, collecting only five hits and falling to Duchesne 10-1.

The Eagles took the lead in the second, putting a pair of runs on the board. Emery’s lone run would come from Nielson’s bat as she sent a fly ball double to center, allowing Larsen to go home and cutting Duchesene’s lead in half at 2-1. The Eagles would add six in the fourth and two more in the fifth for the 10-1 win.

Stoker went 2-2 and Nielson was 2-2 with an RBI.

Jeffs got the start, giving up seven runs, six earned on 11 hits.

April 15- @ Delta

On Tuesday, Lady Spartan softball was on the road to take on the Delta Rabbits. Emery was looking for the season sweep, and they didn’t disappoint as they exploded for 17 runs in the fifth and sixth innings to earn the 19-2 win.

Emery is now 13-10 overall and has the No. 6 spot in the RPI with five regular-season games left.

Through the first few innings, you wouldn’t think the score would end up the way it did. The lone highlight in the early going for Emery was an Elli Stoker home run to center in the top of the first. In the top of the fifth, with Emery up 2-1, Kali Jensen stepped up to the plate, and after a strike and a ball, the third pitch got away from the catcher and gave Elly Stilson a scoring opportunity. The next pitch Jensen sent a shot to left field, and due to a pair of errors on the play, Katelyn Nielson and Jensen would come into score. By the end of the fifth, the Spartans held an 8-1 lead and worked their way through the bottom of the frame, holding Delta scoreless. Things got interesting in the top of the sixth when Emery returned to the plate.

With the Lady Spartans up 9-1, TaiLynn Minchey came to the plate and sent a single to right field, driving in Jensen and Nielson. Later in the inning, with Emery up 17-1 and with two on, Larsen stepped up and sent a fly ball to right field, driving in MiKayla Truman, and then Allison Jeffs scored on an error to put the score 19-1. The Spartans gave up one more run in the bottom of the sixth, but that was it, as they earned a season sweep of Delta.

Emery collected an impressive 12 hits in the contest, and they spread the wealth as no Emery player had more than one hit. Stoker was 1-3 with two RBIs and a run scored for the Lady Spartans. Minchey was 1-3 with two RBIs and a run, and Bailey Luke went 1-3 with two runs and an RBI.

Kallee Lake got the start going five innings with two hits, one run, and eight strikeouts. Jeffs closed out the contest, going one with a run and a strikeout.

April 16- vs. Carbon

On Wednesday, the Lady Dinos and the Lady Spartans met on the diamond for the last time in the regular season. These two met up in the first game of the season, and after taking a win in that contest, Emery was looking for a season sweep. The Lady Spartans struck early and then used a five-run fourth, and after the Carbon rally came up short, Emery claimed the 9-3 win.

The Spartans moved to 14-10 overall and are in the No.6 spot in the RPI with four games remaining. Carbon slips to 6-13 and is in the No. 10 spot with seven games left on its schedule.

Emery would draw first blood, scoring three in the first, and the score would hold until the fourth. With the score 3-0, the Lady Spartans would look to put the game away.  Bailey Luke stepped in and laid a bunt down to third, and Elly Stilson would score. Luke reached third on an error. The next batter up was Hadley Grimm, and during her at-bat, a wild pitch let Luke score. Three batters later, with the score at 5-0 and two outs, Elli Stoker stepped in and sent a single to right, driving home TaiLynn Minchey and  Kaitlyn Thomas, and then with the next at-bat, Katelyn Nielson tripled to right field and Morgan Tuttle came in to put the score at 8-0.

In the fifth, the Lady Dinos found their bats and started a two-out rally when Aleece Ardohain stepped into the box, sending a triple to left, bringing in Kadence Vea and Andee Wood, to get the Dinos on the board. Next up was Kennlee Kennedy, and she would send a single to the left as Ardohain would score. Emery would add one more in the fifth, and the Spartans kept the Dinos off the board to take a 9-3 win.

For Carbon, Wood was 2-3 and scored one run. Ardohain was 1-3, with two RBIs and a run scored, and Vea was 1-3, scoring a run.

In the circle for the Lady Dinos, Vea got the start, going three innings, giving up three runs, two earned on four hits, and striking out two. Danica Adams closed the game for Carbon with six runs on four hits and striking out five.

For the Lady Spartans, Stoker was 2-4 with three RBIs. Thomas was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored, and Nielson went 1-3, scoring one.

Kallee Lake got the complete game win with three earned runs on seven hits and eight strikeouts.

April 18- vs. North Sanpete

The Lady Spartan softball squad scored all their runs in the third inning on Friday when they welcomed the North Sanpete Hawks to Castle Dale. North Sanpete put one on the board in the first, but Emery shut down the Hawks the remainder of the game to take the 3-1.

Emery has a 15-10 overall record and is ranked No. 5 in the latest RPI rankings. Three games remain before the Lady Spartans’ regular season ends on April 29. On April 30, the Utah High School Activities Association will release its final RPI and the bracket for the State Championships, which start on May 3.

The Hawks struck first, adding a run in the first inning. In the third, with two on and one out, Kali Jensen sent a grounder to short, and Kaitlyn Thomas scored on an error to level the game at one. Katelyn Nielson would send a fly ball to second base and reach on an error that brought in Jensen and TaiLynn Minchey to give the Lady Spartans a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, taking the 3-1 win.

Jensen was 1-3 for Emery with one run scored. Thomas went 1-1, scoring one run, and Minchey collected one run in the win.

Kallee Lake was masterful on the mound, surrendering a run on two hits and striking out five. Lake would take full advantage of her teammates behind her, as this was also a team effort on defense.

April 22- @ Canyon View

April 23- @ Duchesne

The Lady Spartan softball squad is in the middle of a busy week, with three road games this week. On Tuesday, they were in Cedar City to take on the Canyon View Falcons, falling in extra innings 8-7.  Then, on Wednesday, they turned around and traveled to Duchesne to take on the Eagles. The extra innings worked to their advantage this time as they earned a 6-5 win.

Emery is 16-11 overall and has the No. 6 spot in the latest RPI. The Lady Spartans have one game left in the regular season.

In Tuesday’s game with the Falcons, Emery would strike first, putting up three runs in the first inning. A Kali Jensen, single with no outs, drove in TaiLynn Minchey, then Elli Stoker came to the plate, sending a double to center, bringing Jensen home. Katelyn Nielson would ground out to the second baseman, but it gave Morgan Tuttle, who had entered the game to run for Stoker, the chance to put the Lady Spartans up 3-0.

With the Spartans up 4-0, Canyon View tied things up in the fourth, and Emery retook the lead in the fifth off of an Aleeyah Cowley single. She reached second on an error, and Elly Stilson scored on the same error. The Spartans gave themselves a little breathing room in the sixth from a Kallee Lake sacrifice to right that scored Tuttle and gave them a 6-5 lead.

The Spartans held the Falcons off the board in the sixth and added another run in the seventh off a Cowley home run to go up 7-5. In the bottom of the frame, Canyon View came back with a homer of their own, driving in two runs to knot things up at 7-7. Emery couldn’t get anything going in the eighth, and Canyon View would add one more to earn the 8-7 win in eight innings.

Stoker was 4-5 at the plate with an RBI for Emery. Jensen went 3-5 with an RBI and a run scored, and Cowley was 2-4 with an RBI and scored a run in the loss.

Lake went the full game, giving up seven runs, two earned, on seven hits, and struck out 10.

The Lady Spartans would turn around and head to Duchesne on Wednesday. The Eagles hold a 17-6 overall record and sit in the No.2 spot in the RPI for the 2A Classification. This one went extras as well, but it was Emery taking the 6-5 edge.

Just as in the Canyon View game, the Spartans got on the board first as Tuttle would score on a Nielson double to right field, and Duchesne came back to tie things up at 1-1 in the second inning.

In the third, Nielson stepped up to the plate and, with two out and no one on, sent one flying over the center field wall to put Emery up 2-1. Two batters later with two on, Bailey Luke sent a double to center that drove in Stilson and Hailee Barnett to give the Spartans the 4-1 edge.

Emery’s bats went quiet, but the Eagles did not as they came back to tie the score at 4-4 in the sixth. Neither team could plate runs in the seventh, and then moving into the eighth, with Stilson at the plate, Nielson would score from third on a wild pitch to put the Spartans up 5-4. Duchesne again tied things up at 5-5, taking the game into the ninth.

In the ninth with two outs with one on, Minchey sent a double to center, bringing Hadley Larsen home to retake the lead. Emery was able to sit the Eagles down 1-2-3, earning the 6-5 win in nine innings.

Stilson went 3-4 at the plate and scored one run for Emery. Nielson was 3-4 with a pair of RBIs and runs, and Luke went 1-3 with two RBIs in the win.

Lake got the complete game win with four runs, three earned on eight hits, and striking out four.

April 25- @ Manti

Katelyn Nielson led the way for the Lady Spartans on Friday against region foe the Manti Templars on the road. Nielson went 4-4, including a home run, to help Emery earn the 7-1 win as the Lady Spartans’ regular season ends.

The Spartans are 17-11 overall and 12-2 in region play, which gives them the Region 12 Championship. The season comes to a close on Tuesday. Then, on Wednesday, the Utah High School Activities Association releases the final RPI and the bracket for the State Championships, which begin on May 3.

Nielson got it rolling early in the first inning with two outs and Morgan Tuttle on; She sent a double to center, driving in Tuttle, and Nielson scored on an error by the third baseman. Nielson doubled in the top of the third, bringing TaiLynn Minchey in to put the score at 3-0.

Moving to the sixth inning with the score at 5-0, Aleeyah Cowley sent a double to center, bringing in Elly Stilson, and two batters later, Cowley scored on an error by the third baseman.

In the top of the seventh, Nielson came to the plate and sent one over the wall in center to give Emery the 7-1 win in their final regular season game.

Nielson was 4-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored for the Lady Spartans. Cowley went 2-3 with a run and an RBI, and Minchey was 1-3, scoring twice in the win.

Kallee Lake earned the complete game win with one run on four hits and striking out nine.

May 3- Canyon View- Opening Round- State Championships

The No. 4 Emery Lady Spartans protected their home field in the opening round of the 3A state tournament by toppling No. 13 Canyon View 8-5 Saturday afternoon in Castle Dale.

Kallee Lake pitched a complete game, gave up just six hits and three earned runs in the win. Facing 29 batters, Lake struck out six and allowed only two walks. Limiting the Falcons’ offense to runs in only two innings, Lake received plenty of run support in the win.

Trailing 3-1 entering the bottom of the second, the Emery bats came alive as the Lady Spartans plated six runs to capture the lead for good.

Bailey Luke set the tone offensively for Emery, finishing 1-3 at the plate with three RBIs and a home run. Elli Stoker ended 2-3 with two RBIs and a double.

Emery overwhelmed Canyon View pitcher Elli John, who surrendered eight hits, seven of which went for extra bases.

Katelyn Nielson ended 1-3 with a triple and one RBI. Lake helped her own cause, too, bringing in a run and finishing 2-3 with a double.

Saturday’s win keeps Emery out of the one-loss bracket and on the cleanest path to the 3A State Championship.

May 8- South Summit- State Championships

Emery softball advanced to the quarterfinals after its win over South Summit on Thursday in Spanish Fork, the home of the 3A State Championship. An early Katelyn Nielson home run gave the Lady Spartans the lead, and a big fifth inning solidified the 8-4 victory.

The Spartans advanced from their pod win over Canyon View 8-5 last Saturday. South Summit took the 11-10 victory over Ogden to advance and face Emery.

The Wildcats jumped on the board, scoring one run in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, with TaiLynn Minchey and Kali Jensen on Nielson would dig in and send her third pitch over the wall in center, bringing everyone home and giving Emery the 3-1 lead.

Things got pretty quiet for both teams until the bottom of the fourth, when Elly Stilson came up to bat with one out and hit one to center to bring Nielson home. Bailey Luke came up next, sending her first pitch to left field, giving Stilson the chance to score. Two batters later, Minchey stepped in with another first pitch single to center that brought Kaitlyn Thomas and Luke in for the score, and then Kali Jensen came up next and smacked a single to center, bringing Minchey home and moving the score to 8-1.

The Wildcats’ rally in the fifth came up short, putting the score at 8-4. They were able to get a couple of base runners on in the top of the seventh, but the Spartans’ defense dug in and claimed the win to advance to the quarterfinal.

Nielson came up big for Emery, going 2-3 with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Jensen went 2-3 at the plate with a run and one RBI, and Minchey was 1-2 with a pair of runs and RBIs in the win.

Lake went the distance, getting the complete game win with four earned runs on seven hits and striking out 10.

May 9- State Championships

Grantsville

Richfield

South Summit

Emery made it through the first two rounds in the 3A State Championships, and on Friday morning, they faced their most formidable opponent so far, the No. 1 ranked Grantsville Cowboys. This team ended the Lady Spartans’ season last year. This time, the Cowboys mounted a big comeback to take the 9-8 win. Falling into the lower bracket, the Spartans faced Region 12 foe Richfield and earned a 9-0 victory, keeping their Championship hopes alive.

In the first game on Friday, the Spartans faced Grantsville. Emery led most of the contest, but the Cowboys found another gear and claimed the 10-9 win.

Emery had revenge on its mind, coming out in the second inning looking to get on the board. The inning began with a walk and an error that put two on. Aleeyah Cowley stepped into the batter’s box and sent a double to left field, and Elly Stilson crossed the plate. Cowley would come home on an error by the third baseman. A Kali Jensen single drove Kaitlyn Thomas in for a score to put the Emery lead at 3-0. Elli Stoker doubled to center, driving in TaiLynn Minchey and Jensen, and then one batter later, Katelyn Nielson knocked a line drive to right, bringing Morgan Tuttle home, pushing the score to 6-0. Emery added a run in the third to get the 7-0 lead.

Grantsville cut into the Spartan lead, adding two runs in the fourth. The Lady Spartans added one more run in the sixth to take an 8-4 lead going into the bottom of the inning.

Grantsville wasn’t ready to give up, and it showed in the bottom of the seventh, scoring five runs, handing the Lady Spartans a 9-8 loss.

Elli Stoker went 2-3 with a pair of RBIs for Emery. Nielson was 2-4 with an RBI, and Cowley was 2-4 with a pair of runs and an RBI.

Kallee Lake pitched a complete game and gave up 10 runs, four earned, on seven hits with nine strikeouts.

The loss dropped them into the lower bracket, meaning they must fight back to the Championship Game, which started with a game against Richfield.

Emery looked great in the game with the Wildcats, holding them scoreless to take a 9-0 win.

Emery added a couple of runs in the second and third, but used the fifth to put some serious distance between them and Richfield.

Stoker led things off with a double to center, Nielson came up to bat next and earned a double on the ground to center to bring Tuttle home, who had entered as a courtesy runner for Stoker. Now it was Bailey Luke’s turn to get in on the action as she would send a single to left that drove in Hadley Larsen and Nielson. Hadley Grimm sent a single to center, moving Luke to second.

Thomas sent a grounder to short to bring in Luke, and Minchey was up next and doubled to center, and Grimm would score to put Emery in the lead, 7-0. Stoker grounded out to third, but that gave Thomas just enough time to score. During the next at bat, Minchey would score on a wild pitch to give the Lady Spartans the 9-0 lead, and then it was time for Emery’s defense to close out the Wildcats to earn the victory.

Luke was 2-4 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored for Emery. Minchey went 2-4 with 2 RBIs and scored one run, and Stilson was 2-4 with an RBI.

Lake got the start, going four innings, giving up two hits and three strikeouts. Allison Jeffs came in to close the game, surrendering three hits and striking out three.

After the win over Richfield, the Lady Spartans had to turn around to face the South Summit Wildcats, a team they had already beaten on Thursday, 8-4. Emery did what they had to, taking a 2-1 win.

The Spartans only needed to score a pair of runs thanks to another dominating performance on the bump by Lake.

The first run came off a solo homerun by Stoker with two outs in the first inning. Moving into the bottom of the third with two outs and with Luke at the plate, Minchey scored on a steal of home to put the score at 2-0, and then they would turn the game over to Lake.

Stoker was 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI for Emery. Jensen and Lake were both 1-3, Cowley was 1-2, and Minchey had a run scored.

Lake was fantastic on the mound and ended her day with a complete game win with no runs on seven hits and struck out two.

May 10- State Championships

Morgan

Grantsville

For the second consecutive season, the Emery Lady Spartans worked through the one-loss bracket to reach the 3A state championship game. Unable to slay the giant, Emery again fell to the defending state champion Grantsville Cowboys.

After suffering a one-run loss to Grantsville on Friday, the Lady Spartans secured back-to-back shutout wins over Richfield and South Summit to advance to the semifinals on Saturday afternoon. To advance into the championship, Emery had to get past the No. 2 seed, the Morgan Trojans.

Down to their final six outs, Emery rallied for a four-run inning sparked by RBIs from Katelyn Nielson and Aleeyah Cowley, leading to a 4-3 victory. Kallee Lake closed the show in the seventh, converting another complete game to put the Lady Spartans two wins away from the ultimate prize.

Unfortunately for Emery, the momentum built in the semifinals did not carry over into the title game. Grantsville completed its second three-peat in eight years, defeating the Lady Spartans 11-1 in six innings.

Despite getting a runner into scoring position early, Grantsville pitcher Hayden Bytheway kept Emery scoreless for the first five innings. Bytheway tossed a gem on the biggest stage, allowing only five hits and one run, while sitting down eight batters.

Trailing 8-0 in the fifth inning, Emery finally got on the scoreboard as senior Kali Jensen laced a single to score Cowley.

Grantsville ended the game in the ensuing inning when Payten Bytheway sparked a three-run frame with a two-RBI double. Addison Durfee ended the game with a walk-off single, scoring Bytheway and securing the Cowboys’ third straight championship.

Saturday’s runner-up finish puts the finishing touches on a highly successful season for the Lady Spartans. Ending the regular season as Region 12 champions with a 12-2 record and 22-13 overall, Emery entered the 3A state tournament as the No. 4 seed.