Rangers Let One Slip Away

Good pitching and timely hitting proved to be too much for the Laramie Rangers, as they lost both games of a doubleheader to the Westco Zephyrs Tuesday night.

Laramie fell 5-1 in game one and then blew two big leads in an 11-10 loss in game two.

Rangers’ manager Rich Wilson said they are trying to learn from these situations.

“It just gets so frustrating. Nobody likes to lose, and the tough thing is you get there and now people start pointing their finger… We are getting better, whether or not our record shows that. “

Laramie held an 8-1 lead after four innings in the nightcap. They produced six runs in the second inning. That was highlighted by a bases-clearing three-run triple from Nate Hill. After the Zephyrs scored three times, the Rangers answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth.

With a 10-4 lead, it looked like Laramie would gain a split, but back came Westco. The Zephyrs scored seven unanswered runs in the last two innings for the 11-10 lead.

The Rangers got two men on with one out, but failed to score in the bottom of the seventh.

Wilson said, “We have to learn how to throw in those situations. It was a real tight zone, so you’ve got to keep pounding it. You can’t let that get to you… The wheels fall off, and unfortunately it was on our side.”

In game one, Westco starting pitcher Beau Lofink held Laramie in check. He went the distance for the win on the mound. Lofink surrendered only one run on four hits. He walked only three and struck out ten Rangers.

The Zephyrs took an early 1-0 lead and added another run in the sixth. Laramie’s only run was from a double steal in the bottom of the sixth by Nate Hill and Taylor Dodd. Dodd plated the run. Then, Westco scored three unearned runs in the seventh for insurance and held on for the 5-1 win.

With the two losses, Laramie has dropped four straight and is 12-19 this season.

The Rangers will host the wood bat Dooley Oil Classic baseball tournament this weekend at Cowboy Field.