| Chris Hatch takes a cut at the ball during Thursday’s ball game at Emery. The Dinos defeated the Spartans 9-3, scoring seven runs in the sixth inning. |
After defeating the Spartans 18-2 in a Colorado tournament on March 20, the Dinos had a mental advantage entering the March 25 rematch at Emery.
The game was the start of the Region 8 season for both teams.
For the majority of the game, though, Emery showed no signs of intimidation to the Dino club.
In the first inning, Carbon had the bases loaded and no outs. But, fieldable line drives allowed Emery to escape the inning having given up only one run.
Emery also made several double plays at crucial moments to get out of bad situations.
It was the sixth inning before Carbon finally exploded, scoring seven runs and securing the first region game of the season.
According to Carbon coach Lane Herrick, the team had been ready to break out from the beginning.
“We were knocking on the door the whole game, but Emery played some pretty good defense,” Herrick stated.
Troy Grundy was the winning pitcher in the 9-3 game, chalking up 12 strikeouts.
Herrick said overall the team is coming around on defense and he was particularly pleased with the team’s offense.
He added that if the team continues to make good progress, it has the potential to be a strong contender this season.
“We have a lot of talented kids,” he remarked. “It’s up to them I guess.”
This week, the Dinos will host Lehi and travel to North Sanpete.
Herrick said that good pitching performances are expected from Mike Smith and the rest of the bullpen.