| The College of Eastern Utah’s baseball team completed a successful weekend, ending four games out of six victorious. Eric Turnbow had an outstanding series for the Eagles. Turnbow was expected to be a key player for the Eagles this season, and it seems as if he is living up to these expectations. |
The College of Eastern Utah men’s baseball team successfully completed a full week of baseball action which began March 12 on the Eagles home field.
The first two games that started out the week for the Eagles turned out to be a huge success. The Eagles have struggled so far this season, but the team looked refreshed and played quite tough against the visiting Miles City.
The first inning found the Eagles ahead of the Pioneers by one, after a Gary Larson RBI which allowed Jacob Wolfgramm to score.
The second inning then found the Eagles scoring their second run. The inning began with Shawn Johnson hitting a single, then advancing to second on a throwing error by the third baseman. Beau Stoker then grounded out at third base, followed by an Eric Turnbow single which allowed Johnson to advance to third. Turnbow then seized the opportunity to steal second base. Meanwhile, Johnson stole home, putting the Eagles ahead of the Pioneers by two runs.
The Pioneers only run came in the fourth inning. The Eagles ran away with the victory 2-1. After completing the first game successfully, CEU looked forward to the second game of their double header match up against the Pioneers.
The second game was much like the first, with the Eagles lighting up the scoreboard first, with a run in the first inning by Kory Drew. As a freshman, Drew currently leads the Eagles in batting average with .360. Drew is expected to be a heavy hitter for the Eagles this season.
By the fifth inning, the Eagles were feeling comfortable on their home field as they completed three runs. Although the Pioneers also scored in the fifth inning, the Eagles found themselves ahead going into the sixth inning, 4-1.
The Eagles then put the Pioneers away in the sixth inning with two more runs, scored by Turnbow and Mark Gunn. The Eagles finished the second game 6-1 over the Pioneers.
After sweeping Miles City, the Eagles then traveled to Idaho to take on the North Idaho Cardinals. The weekend found the two teams competing in four games, with the Eagles splitting the games with the Cardinals.
The first day of competition was played March 15, which began with a rocky start for the Eagles. The Cardinals managed to defeat the Eagles in both games.
The first game found the Cardinals running away with the game in the fifth inning as the Cardinals completed eight runs to move ahead of the Eagles 8-0.
The Eagles did respond to the Cardinals eight runs in the sixth inning however. The Eagles began to up the score with a Kenny Jones RBI, followed by a Johnson RBI. The Eagles also completed their third run after a Cardinals wild pitch which advanced Jones to home.
The rally was not enough in the end for the Eagles to walk away victorious. The Cardinals defeated CEU in the first game, 8-3.
The second game, was much like the first with the Eagles losing to the Cardinals 5-0. Although battered, the Eagles were not yet beaten. The team would prove it the next day.
After a night of rest the Eagles bounced back strong. CEU began by moving ahead of the Cardinals 1-0 in the fifth inning, after Derek Waddoups ran to home on a Jordan Oyler RBI.
The Cardinals answered the Eagles run with one of their own in the seventh inning. The Eagles retaliated with two runs in the eighth inning, advancing the Eagles to the final 3-1 victory over the Cardinals.
The second game of the double header also turned out successful for the Eagles. The game started warming up in the fourth inning when an AJ Stosich home run advanced three runners to home base. One more run was completed in the fourth, moving the Eagles ahead of the Cardinals 4-0.
The fifth inning found the Eagles continuing to run away with the game with four runs completed, and the sixth inning also allowed the Eagles to complete four more runs.
The biggest offensive rally the Cardinals showed all day, came in the sixth inning, when the Cardinals completed their only run for the game. The Eagles finished 12-1, bouncing back from the back to back losses the previous day.
The Eagles record is currently 5-11 in the Scenic West Athletic Conference, and 10-18 overall this season. CEU plans to boost these figures this weekend as the team hosts Utah State Universitys club team, Friday and Saturday at the CEU field. The Eagles will play two doubleheaders, beginning Friday at 3:00 p.m. and Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
The CEU players look forward to competing before a hometown crowd this weekend. As they step out onto the field, the Eagles plan to keep the winning streak alive and advance in the standings.