Laramie Minors Win Puts Them in State Title Game
The Laramie Minors All-Stars rallied for a victory, while the Laramie Majors All-Stars lost at the Wyoming Little League State Tournament in Torrington Thursday.
The Laramie Minors All-Stars defeated Cody 5-3 and advanced to the state championship game Saturday at 10 a.m.
Cody jumped to a 3-1 lead before Laramie rallied. The Minors All-Stars scored on a steal of home by Brock Lehning and a passed ball for a 3-3 tie in the third inning. Laramie took the lead when Jaymes Bailey scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. The All-Stars added to their lead when Porter Stender reached on an error and scored for a 5-3 lead.
Lehning got the win in relief, as he shut Cody out over 4.1 innings pitched. Lehning allowed one hit and struck out two.
Laramie had no hits in the game but took advantage of five walks and five Cody errors.
The Minors All-Stars will play in the Championship game Saturday at 10 a.m. against either Cody or Rock Springs. Those two will play today at 10 a.m.
The Laramie Majors squad lost to Gillette for the third time in the postseason. With that, they now face an elimination game versus Lander at 10 a.m. Friday.
Laramie took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-ground out in the second. Gillette rallied with four runs in the third and another in the fourth inning. A hit batter, followed by three walks, a double, and a single led to the big inning. A single and an error by Laramie added another run for Gillette and a 5-1 lead. The Majors All-Stars rallied with a run in the fifth with a single, an error, a fielder’s choice, and a passed ball. Another passed ball made it 5-3 in the sixth, but the rally fell short, as a groundout ended the game.
Laramie out-hit Gillette 8-to-6 in the game, but four walks and two errors aided the Gillette victory.
Brayden McKinney had two hits and an RBI. He did take the loss on the mound. McKinney allowed three runs on one hit. He struck out four but also walked four.
The winner of Friday’s Laramie-Lander game will take on Gillette Saturday at 10 a.m. in the state title game.