THE BASICS 

Score: Emerson 10, Buena Vista 9 – Final

Records: Emerson Lions (4-0); Buena Vista Beavers (4-1) 

Pitching Decision: W – Ty Bourne (1-0), L – Mason Gehling (0-1) S – R. Tettemer (1)

Location: Tucson, AZ. (Kino Sports Complex) 

Date: March 7, 2022

The Lead: Behind 3 RBI from Junior Quinton Copeland and 2 more from Junior Thai Morgan, the Emerson Lions offense did just enough to fend off a furious Buena Vista rally to hold on for the win, 10-9.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS 

EMERSON

Quinton Copeland: 2 for 5, with 3 RBI

Lou Davolio: 2 for 3, with 1 RBI and 2 BB

Josh Cohen: 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 1 run scored

PITCHING: 

Ty Bourne: 6 strikeouts and 2 earned runs through 5 innings pitched

Ezra Charles: 3 strikeouts and 2 earned runs through 2 innings pitched

Rory Tettemer: Successfully converted a save opportunity

BUENA VISTA

Evan Taylor: 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 XBH (1 HR, 1 3B)

Grant Oseka: 2 for 4 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored

Kyler Corcoran: 2 for 4 with 2 DB and 1 RBI

PITCHING:

Austin Scott: 0 runs and 6 batters faced through 2 innings pitched

Devon Vanhouten: 3 strikeouts and 0 runs through 1 inning pitched

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Both the Lions and the Beavers posted goose eggs in the 1st frame with the only noise coming on a long ground rule double from Buena Vista Junior, Jordan Mathewson.
• Sophomore hurler Ty Bourne stranded J. Mathewson at third with some efficient work.
• The Lions offense exploded in the 2nd inning, plating 5 runs.
• Junior Jake Hatch walked to begin the top of the 2nd and found his way to 3rd with a stolen base and a passed ball before Senior Captain Calvin Jacey brought him home on a sacrifice fly to start the scoring.
• Senior Joe Colucci also walked and then scored on an errant throw to continue the Lions offensive attack in the top of the 2nd.
• Senior Josh Cohen, in his first at bat of the year, lined a single up the middle to start the Lions hit parade.
• Senior Quinton Copeland roped a ball into left field to plate a run. Junior Thai Morgan followed up with an RBI single to the left side when he roped a sharp ground ball past the outstretched glove of the Beaver's third baseman.
• Senior Lou Davolio capped the Lion's 5-run inning when he drove a line drive to the right center field gap, scoring Copeland from 3^rd.
• Buena Vista answered with a run of their own in the home half of the second when Kyler Corcoran plated Eric Taylor with an RBI single. Taylor reached base with a triple. This trimmed the Lions lead to 5-1.
• After 2 quic outs to start the 3^rd inning, Senior Joe Colucci reached base for the second time with a line drive single up the middle. Colucci was able to score when Sophomore Jake Okamoto stayed in a rundown long enough to allow Colucci to cross homeplate.
• The Beavers would answer again when Zack Beekman hit an opposite field home run in the bottom half of the 3rd to cut the Beaver's deficit to 6-2.
• Buena Vista continued the scoring in the home half of the 4th when Eric Taylor brought in a run on a throwing error by the Lions; trimming the Emerson lead to 6-4. Taylor was subsequently picked off by Emerson starter, Ty Bourne.
• Bourne capped off a solid outing by stranding two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the 5^th inning with a massive strikeout.
• In the top of the 6th, Copeland came up clutch again, smashing a double that would plate two runs. He later scored on a Morgan sacrifice fly.
• Ezra Charles came in to pitch the home half of the 6th and held the Beavers to another scoreless frame.
• In the top of the 7^th, the Lions quickly loaded the bags with three straight singles by Junior Chris Ferara, Calvin Jacey, and Freshman Briggs Loveland. Ferara scored when Okamoto grounded into a double play to cap the Lions scoring for the day, giving them a 10-4 advantage.
• The Beaver's Eric Taylor smacked a two-run homerun to right field in the bottom half of the 7th to cut the Lions lead to just 4.
• Freshman Jake Morvillo entered the game in the top of the 8th in relief of Charles and subsequently set the Beavers down in order.
• The Lions went down quietly in the top half of the 9th as Devon Vanhouten entered the game for the Beavers and struck out the side in order.
• The Beaver's made it interesting in the bottom on the 9^th when Grant Oseka singled to plate Beekman followed by Caden Mathewson scoring on a passed ball.
• Jackson Smith flew out to the right field, plating Oseka, but the Lions Quinton Copeland made the throw of the day; cutting down Eric Taylor trying to advance to 3^rd base on the sacrifice fly.
• With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9^th Senior Rory Tettemer was able to induce a fly ball to left field where Davolio made a sliding catch to secure a 10-9 victory for the Lions.

UP NEXT

• The Lions continue their Spring Break trip in Arizona with a matchup against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs on Tuesday, March 8 at 10:30am MST.