The Utah State University Eastern baseball team took a trip to Rangely, Colorado as Scenic West conference play rolled on. The Eagles fought to emerge victorious in a four-game sweep of the Colorado Northwestern Community College Spartans.
 
Game 1
 
Eastern opened scoring in the top of the second after a Hunter Gatti single to score Nate Rose.
Bodee Goins added to the lead, in the top of the third inning, with an RBI double to score Tyler Nelson. Gatti extended the lead, two batters later, to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead after three innings.
The fourth inning proved to be a pivotal point in the game as USUE scored five runs, beginning with an RBI double from McGwire Jephson. Goins tripled, and later scored on a single by Sam Beck. Beck would score Gatti's third RBI of the game before Rose scored on a passed ball.
Rose and Beck would add two more runs in the top of the fifth, giving the Eagles a 10-run cushion.
CNCC attempted to make the game interesting, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the fifth, making the game 10-8.
Eastern closed the door with a three-run home run by Goins, giving the Eagles a 13-8 win.
Wayland Crane got the win on the mound, tossing 4.1 innings, recording five strikeouts.
 
Game 2
 
A one-sided affair began quickly as the Eagles scored in the top of the first on a Jephson ground ball, scoring Zak Nelson.
Zak Nelson drove in Rose in the top of the second to give Eastern an early 2-0 lead.
The Spartans cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the third, then tied the game with another in the bottom of the fourth.
USU Eastern responded with five runs in the top of the fifth, thanks to a three-run double by Beck, and a two-run single by Gatti.
Tyler Nelson and Beck each homered in the top of the sixth to extend Eastern's lead to 9-2 after six innings.
Colorado Northwestern scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, but it was the Eagles that prevailed 9-3.
Kade Hansen earned the win after throwing four innings, allowing just two runs on two hits. Hansen recorded two strikeouts in the outing.
 
Game 3
 
After two, high-scoring games the day before, a pitcher's duel ensued in the third game of the series. CNCC jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after the first inning and extended their lead to 2-0 after four innings of play.
Finally, in the top of the fifth inning, Zak Nelson singled to score Nate Rose, cutting the Spartan lead in half, 2-1.
Eastern tied the game in the top of the sixth, thanks to a Nate Rose RBI ground out. Hunter Gatti gave USUE a 4-2 lead with a two-run home run, proving to be the deciding factor in the game.
The Eagles scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh to seal the 5-2 win.
Landon Salvesen earned the win after tossing a six-inning gem, striking out 10 Spartan hitters.
 
Game 4
 
The final game of the series saw CNCC jump to an early 3-1 lead after the first inning. That, however, would be the end of scoring for the Spartans.
The Eagles scored four in the top of the fifth, thanks to a sacrifice fly by McGwire Jephson, and three straight singles by Bodee Goins, Sam Beck and Nate Rose.
Rose would homer in the top of the ninth, extending the Eastern lead to 9-3, solidifying the four-game sweep of the Spartans.
 
The Eagles will next return to the field for a four-game series at Salt Lake Community College. Games are scheduled for doubleheaders on Apr. 19-20.