Laramie Little League Suffers First Loss in State Tournament

On a hot Thursday afternoon in Green River, the six-time defending state champion Laramie Little League All-Star team sweltered to a scorching Cody team, 13-3 in five innings.

Despite losing, Laramie is still alive in the double-elimination tournament, but with the loss, face a must-win situation against Gillette, Friday at 4:00 p.m. Online coverage of the game will begin at 3:55 p.m. and can be heard by clicking here.

After winning their state tournament opener on Wednesday, Laramie began confidently against the top seed from the West, Cody, but it was a slow start for both teams. No runs came aboard for either team in the first inning, but after retiring Laramie in the top of the second 1-2-3, Cody struck first. Bringing all 9 batters to the plate in the bottom half, Cody tallied five hits, one walk and most importantly, four runs, which was all they ended up needing.

In the top of the third inning, Shawn Anderson, Blake Moore and Zachariah Aguilar all came around to score for Laramie, but that would be all the local squad would muster in the game. Cody added three runs in the fourth, but then put the game out of reach in the fifth inning when they brought in six runs without a single out.

With the win, Cody will not play on Friday, but with the loss, Laramie will have a rematch with Gillette Friday at 4 p.m. The last time Laramie faced Gillette, Laramie win in the District 2 Championship game 17-2.

Friday afternoon will bring about another Laramie-Gillette rematch when the Gillette American 9/10 squad takes on Laramie’s 9/10 team at 1 p.m. The Laramie youngsters moved into the game with a Thursday morning victory, 12-8 over Lander. The two teams also faced off in the District 2 Championship game, when Laramie prevailed to earn the top seed from the east. The winner of the Laramie-Gillette American game will face Cody on Saturday for the 9 and 10 year old state championship.