The Utah State University Eastern Eagles seized victory in dramatic walk-off fashion, thanks to a walk-off single at the end of the game to top the College of Southern Idaho Golden Eagles, 3-2. The game was tied at two with USU Eastern at the plate, in the bottom of the seventh, when Davis Kirby singled on a 1-0 count, scoring one run.
Eastern got things moving in the first inning, scoring a run on a CSI defensive error.
Tyler Fitch toed the rubber for the Eagles. Fitch allowed three hits and one run over four innings, striking out seven and walking one.
Kirby went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Utah State University Eastern 2023 in hits.
Southern Idaho fired up the offense in the first inning of game two, scoring the first run of the game.
The Golden Eagles scored five runs in the fourth to take a commanding lead. Eastern attempted to make a comeback, but fell just short, 7-4
Dylan Hawkes took the loss for USU Eastern. The lefthander went 3.2 innings, allowing six runs on six hits and striking out four.
Multiple Eagles recorded hits in the loss for USU Eastern.
Saturday morning saw USU Eastern and Southern Idaho battle a scoreless game into the bottom of the third when a Davis Kirby single gave Eastern a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth, Tyler Nelson drove a ball to left center, clearing the fences for his first homerun of the season, extending the Eagles' lead to 2-0.
Eastern used the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 4-0 after Vaughn Deming hit an RBI single and Nelson hit a sacrifice fly for his second RBI of the day.
CSI scored a run in the top of the seventh, but Eastern closed the door, winning 4-1.
Ky Decker got the start on the mound, and the complete-game win. Decker finished with 12 strikeouts to just one walk, and allowed just one run on six hits.
A back-and-forth affair seemed to be the perfect finish to a competitive series in the final game of the series.
Southern Idaho opened the game with back-to-back home runs and a 2-0 lead.
Vaughn Deming turned on an inside pitch, in the third inning, to drive a two-run home run to left field and tie the game at 2-2.
The tie didn't last long as the Golden Eagles scored in the top of the fourth to regain a 3-2 advantage.
Tyler Nelson doubled in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs, to give Eastern the lead, 4-3. But a CSI two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth gave the Golden Eagles a 5-4 lead.
Mack Bright singled in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 5-5.
Eastern would add another run in the bottom of the seventh, and another in the eighth to provide the final score of 7-5, completing the series win for Eastern.
"These were big wins for our team," said head coach Kirk Haney. "We knew these games were important for not only our standings in the conference, but for our confidence as a team as well. We knew we needed to win this series, and our guys came out and competed."
Next up for the Eagles is a quick turnaround, and a trip to Twin Falls to take on the CSI Golden Eagles in a make-up series of games that were canceled earlier this season. The games will be played on Monday and Tuesday.
