Rangers Get Swept By Casper

Casper proved to have just enough to sweep a close legion baseball doubleheader over the Laramie Rangers Tuesday night at Cowboy Field.

The Oilers took the opener 8-7 and won the nightcap 5-3.

Rangers’ manager Brandon Ruckman was disappointed and said,

“I hate to lose two to these double-A teams. I want to show that we’re a good enough team to hang with these guys; just didn’t have it today.”

Game one was a pitcher’s duel for four innings. Then, both teams exploded in the fifth. Casper plated five runs and took a 7-1 lead. Laramie answered with six runs to tie it. The Rangers used four RBI singles and took advantage of three errors by the Oilers defense.

In the seventh, Casper loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks with one out. An RBI sacrifice fly by Trevor Osborn plated the winning run.

Laramie (18-21) had two men reach with two outs in their half, but a ground out to the shortstop ended the game.

Both teams finished with 10 hits. The Rangers were led by Joseph Legerski, who had two hits and two RBI. Marshall Stuart took the loss in relief of starter Kacey Bernaski.

In game two, Laramie struggled at the plate and managed only five hits.

Casper scored one in the first and two runs in both the fifth and seventh innings.

The Rangers plated all three of their runs in the bottom of the seventh. They scored on an error, a Harrison Yates RBI double and an RBI groundout. For the second straight time, the game ended on a ground ball to the shortstop.

Yates led Laramie with two hits. Nate Hill suffered the loss on the mound.

Ruckman added, “Give Casper credit, they made some good plays; got some balls in the hole; got some excitement going. That’s kind of what we needed today. We needed to get that one big extra base hit or that one real nice play to get things fired up for us.”

The Rangers are back in action Thursday, when they host Sidney, NE in a twin bill at Cowboy Field. First pitch is at 5 p.m. Laramie heads to Rock Springs Friday for a doubleheader against Archie Hay Post 24 starting at 2 p.m.