Rangers Baseball Season Had a Rough Beginning

It was a tough start to the season for the Laramie Rangers, who went winless in three games last weekend in Cheyenne.

Laramie opened with a 15-1 loss to Cheyenne Post 6 last Friday night. Then on Saturday, the Cheyenne Hawks rallied for a 7-3 victory over the Rangers, followed by a Rock Springs rally for a 10-7 win over Laramie.

The Rangers struggled in their season debut versus Post 6. Cheyenne broke the game open with five runs in the second inning and six more in the third. Laramie’s only run came on an RBI-single from Riley Hogsett that scored Ben Ruckman in the fifth inning. The Rangers finished with a run on three hits and had three errors. Ramon Gomez started and took the loss. He threw 2.2 innings, surrendered 11 runs, nine earned, on eight hits. Post 6’s pitcher Cody Brooks shut down Laramie, as he went four innings for the victory. Brooks allowed one hit with nine strikeouts.

Laramie had a 3-1 lead on the Hawks Saturday, but Cheyenne rallied with two in the third inning and four in the fourth for the victory. Caleb Eaton had two of the Rangers five hits. Gomez had an RBI-single in the third produced two runs. Jake Vigen took the loss in relief. He allowed four runs in two innings pitched.

The final game of the weekend featured another rally by the opponent. Rock Springs scored six runs in the seventh for a 10-7 win over Laramie. The Rangers built a 7-4 lead through four innings but saw it slip away. Eaton took the loss on the mound. He allowed six runs on five hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Laramie pounded out 16 hits but left 13 runners on base. Eaton had three hits to lead the offensive attack, while five other Rangers had two hits apiece. Alex Flores hit a pair of doubles with two RBI’s.

Laramie manager Aaron Lozano visited with KOWB’s David Settle last week before the first action of the season. He discussed his coaching staff, the make-up of the team, how the off-season went, plus preparation leading up to the first games, the strong teams around the state, and more.

Laramie heads to Casper for tournament play April 27 and 28. Their home debut is May 8 at Cowboy Field versus Cheyenne Post 6.