Laramie Rangers Will Play for the State Title

They are one game away from their first state championship since 1986. Late Friday night, the Laramie Rangers pulled away from the Cody Cubs for an 11-1 victory and earned a spot in the state title game at the Wyoming State 'A' American Legion baseball tournament in Gillette.

Laramie awaits the winner of the Cody-Green River game which is at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Drew Burman and Abel Casas held Cody to one run on five hits. They surrendered one walk and struck out 12. Burman got the win, as he went seven innings, walked one, struck out six and hit four batters, while he threw 117 total pitches. Casas tossed the last two frames and didn't give up a hit or a run, but did have six strikeouts. Between the two, they helped strand 11 Cody runners.

Casas also had the key hit early on for Laramie. With a 2-0 lead in the second, Casas laced a two-run triple to the deep, left-center gap that scored Kacey Bernaski and Chance Jones for a 4-0 advantage.

The Rangers manufactured a run in the fifth inning for a 5-0 lead. Tommy Johnson was hit by a pitch. He stole second and third, and then came home on an RBI sacrifice bunt by Bernaski.

Cody finally scored in the seventh, but left the bases load. Laramie responded in the eight with four runs, which included a two-run single by Jones and an RBI infield single from Burman. The Rangers added two more runs in the ninth on an RBI double by Nate Hill, who eventually scored on a passed ball.

Casas led the offense with three hits and two RBI. Jones added two hits and a pair of RBI's, while Burman and Bernaski also drove in a pair.

The Wyoming State 'A' Championship game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. Laramie will either rematch against Cody or face off against Green River for the fourth time in just over a week.

The state title game can be heard on KOWB (AM 1290), online and on your mobile device. David Settle will call the action from Gillette. Coverage of Laramie Rangers baseball will start at 6:45 p.m.