Eagles sweep CCC with first no-hitter since 2015

The USU Eastern baseball team took the home field over the weekend to face off against the
Community Christian Saints. The Eagles swept four games from an opponent for the first time
this season and freshman Carson Hawkes threw the team’s first no-hitter since 2015.
The Eagles easily won the first game Thursday 12-4. Scott Bahde, Jake Mortensen, Dylan
Hawkes, and Kaden Kunz led Eastern offensively as they combined for 10 runs batted in.
Bahde hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning to score Gabe Childs. Mortensen
brought in runs on an RBI hit by pitch with the bases loaded and an RBI single in the bottom of
the sixth to bring in Ethan Hixson and Kunz.
Dylan Hawkes roped a ball over the fence in the sixth to bring in Bahde on a monstrous two-run
home run. Kunz hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning to bring in Ty Barker. Kunz added a two-
run double in the sixth.
Ky Decker started on the mound for Eastern and tossed five innings. He allowed four runs,
three earned, on two hits and nine strikeouts. Westin Corless pitched the final two innings and
allowed one hit to the seven batters he faced.
Game Two was the first half of Friday’s doubleheader. It was a tightly contested 4-0 win for
Eastern as Hayden Brock allowed two hits to the Saints in six innings of work. Brock tallied ten
strikeouts and allowed five walks.
Tyler Fitch entered the game in the seventh inning to close out the Saints and he struck out the
side. Jake Mortensen and Carson Hawkes had home runs for the Eagles in the four-run triumph.
“These games were big for us,” Head Coach Kirk Haney said. “We needed momentum going
into this final stretch of the season and these games gave us the push we are needing to close
out this season strong.”
The second half of the doubleheader clinched the series victory for USU Eastern as Kody Nelson
got the win on the mound. After a first-inning home run, Nelson settled in and retired the
Saints with ease. In six innings, Nelson allowed four hits and one earned run. He struck out nine
batters and walked two. Troy Connell finished the game for Eastern as he held the Saints at bay
in the seventh inning. Connell, however, did allow two runs on two hits, but was able to finish
off CCC.
Saturday’s Game Four was the icing on the cake for Eastern as Carson Hawkes no-hit the Saints
in a 10-2 victory. While it is unusual for a pitcher to allow two runs in a no-hitter, Hawkes
became the first Eagle pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Jayce Hill did so in 2015.

Hawkes received plenty of support on the mound from the Eagle bats as all nine starters were
able to reach base safely in the contest. Vaughn Deming and Kunz led the Eagles with two RBIs
each as the Eagles completed the sweep.
This weekend, the Eagles travel to Rangely, Colorado to take on the Colorado Northwestern
Spartans in a four-game series. The Eagles will look to extend their four-game win streak and
inch closer to third place in the Scenic West Athletic Conference standings. First pitch will be
thrown Thursday, Apr. 21 at 3 pm.