The Utah State Eastern baseball team began their conference season with a four-game series at the College of Southern Idaho. The team entered conference play with a 19-13 record.
Southern Idaho dominated the first game of the series. The Eagles managed just three hits in the contest and scored on an RBI single by Jace Olsen. The final score was 11-1 in favor of CSI. Cam Ford, Jace Olsen, and Tyce Abbot each had a walk in the game.
Game two of the weekend was the closest contest. After a five-run inning, the Eagles had a 5-0 lead after the top of the second. The College of Southern Idaho scored a few to cut the lead, but the Eagles had a 6-4 lead going into the sixth inning. CSI scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth, defeating the Eagles 7-6. Truman Duryea homered in the game and finished with three RBIs.
Needing a quick bounce back, the Eagles found themselves down 5-0 after five innings. Unable to generate offense, the Eagles fell 11-1 in the third game of the series. Eastern had five errors in the loss, and Ashton Burnett scored the lone Eagle run on a CSI error.
To avoid a sweep, the Eagles needed a win in the series finale. Eastern started the game with a 4-0 lead after the first four innings. They only managed to score one more run in the contest, falling 10-5 in the finale. Jose Pereira had a multi-hit performance for the Eagles.
The Eagles will continue conference play with a home series against Salt Lake Community College. The games are scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in Helper, Utah.
