Offensive Outbursts Carry the Rangers Past Rock Springs

Laramie out-slugged Rock Springs Archie Hay Post 24 and swept a doubleheader with a pair of 10-run victories Tuesday at Cowboy Field.

The Rangers blew a 12-1 lead in the opener, but pulled out a 21-11 victory in six innings. In the nightcap, Laramie took an early 7-0 lead and went on to a 16-6 win in six innings.

Manager Brandon Ruckman said it was a shoot-out in first game.

“A lot offense and not much defense; got that lead, and that’s when you should relax in the field defensively, and we didn’t. We were up and played tight again. That’s kind of the story of game one.”

Marshall Stuart and Albert Steiner had four hits and three RBI’s apiece in the offensive shoot-out of game one. Blake Moore added three hits and five RBI’s, as the Rangers pounded out 17 hits, which included five extra-base hits.

Stuart’s been swinging a hot bat lately, and said he worked before last weekend’s tournament on his swing.

“I fixed my hands, and I got to where I’m swinging good. I like swinging wood, too, so that kind of helped me get in the groove.”

Stuart is 14-for-21 in his last six games, that equates to a .667 hitting percentage. He’s had three triples among his base knocks and 10 RBI’s.

Down 1-0, Laramie sent 17 batters to the plate in the first inning of the opener. Reid Baty’s two-run triple and Stuart’s bases-clearing, three-run triple provided the big blows in a 12-1 lead.

Rock Springs’ bats came alive with a six-run second inning. Archie Hay Post 24 eventually cut the lead to 13-11 before the Rangers got back on track. Laramie scored four in the fifth and four more in the sixth to close it out.

The Rangers took advantage of 14 walks and four errors by Rock Springs, but Laramie committed seven errors of their own. Baty got the win on the mound. Cameron Campbell closed out the final three frames.

Seven runs in the first and six more in the third propelled the Rangers to their win in game two.

“They definitely turned around and had a lot better defensive game,” said Ruckman in game two.

Steiner and Treyven Armijo had two hits and each drove in three runs.

Armijo had a bases-clearing three-run triple in the first. David Coulthard’s RBI-triple to right-centerfield got the third going. Steiner added a two-run double.

Laramie’s 11-hit attack included four extra-base hits. Three of those were triples. The Rangers also benefitted from nine walks and four Rock Springs errors. Blake Moore started and was the winning pitcher. Eli Bryant tossed three scoreless innings of relief.

Ruckman added, “I thought Blake (Moore) and Eli (Bryant) threw a heck of a game for us. Eli pounded the strike zone, and for not seeing much time on the mound, he did a good job.”

Laramie heads to Gillette for the Hladky Memorial Tournament Thursday through Sunday. The Rangers open with Columbia Basin, WA and Premier West from Colorado in twin bill Thursday.