Laramie Rangers Split Their Opening Weekend

The 2015 season began with a pair of victories followed by a pair of losses for the Laramie Rangers legion baseball team.

After having their season delayed a week due to weather, Laramie finally opened with a doubleheader sweep Saturday in Douglas. Then in Sunday's home away from home opening doubleheader, North Platte, NE swept the Rangers in Cheyenne.

Game One: Laramie Rangers 6, Douglas Cats 5

In the first game at Douglas, Laramie jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings. They held off a rally by the Cats for a 6-5 victory.

A four-run second was the key. Harrison Yates, Nate Hill and Marshall Stuart all had rbi-singles in the frame.

Yates went 3-for-5, including a triple at the plate. He drove in a run and scored three times. Yates also threw the final two innings on the mound for the save.

Hill went five innings and was the winning pitcher. He surrendered four runs on seven hits. Hill walked only one and struck out four.

Game Two: Laramie Rangers 16, Douglas Cats 7

Laramie scored 13 runs over the last two innings to capture game two of the double dip. The final was 16-7.

Winning pitcher Joseph Legerski had the go-ahead two-run single as part of a six-run sixth. The Rangers also had an rbi-double from Stuart in the same frame.

In the seventh, Laramie got two runs on wild pitches; had two delayed steals of home; drew a bases loaded walk and rbi-singles from Yates and Kacey Bernaski. It all added up to seven runs.

Game One: North Platte 16, Laramie Rangers 4 (5 inns.)

Sunday was a different story for the Rangers, as they were taken apart twice by the North Platte First Nationals. It was the home opening doubleheader for Laramie, but the games were moved to Cheyenne's Pioneer Park because Cowboy Field is still closed.

North Platte scored six times in the third inning and took an early 6-0 lead. They added two more in the fourth and exploded for eight runs in the fifth inning. The First Nationals finished with 16 hits, which included a pair of doubles and a triple. They also took advantage of seven walks.

Kevin Hancock had three hits, including a double and three rbi's to lead North Platte.

Laramie's Albert Steiner started and took the loss on the mound. Legerski went 2-for-3 with a triple and two runs scored to lead the Rangers attack.

Game Two: North Platte 12, Laramie Rangers 6

This time it was a six-run second inning that propelled North Platte to the victory in game two.

Dominic Martinez smacked a bases-clearing, three-run triple to left-centerfield that broke the game open.

They would score a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. The First Nationals closed it out with three in the seventh. They had ten total hits, including five extra base hits. North Platte took advantage of five walks and three Laramie errors.

The Rangers pulled within 6-3 after four innings, but failed to get any closer. Wes Yerty was the losing pitcher. Stuart and Reid Baty led the Laramie offense with a pair of hits and two rbi's apiece.

The Laramie Rangers return to action on May 25 with a road doubleheader at Fort Morgan, CO.