Laramie Rangers Survive Scare Against Jackson, 5-4 [VIDEO]

In dramatic fashion, the Laramie Rangers won their first-round game over Jackson, 5-4, at the 2021 ‘AA’ state baseball tournament on Monday at Cowboy Field.

Trailing 4-2, the Rangers lead-off hitter Ben Malone drew a walk. He advanced to second on a wild pitch. Tayton Moore followed with an RBI single to left field. A groundout move Moore to third. That was followed by a walk to Garrett Dodd and an intentional pass to Brandon Chavez.

With the bases loaded and one out, Riley Hogsett hit a ground ball to the shortstop. He threw to second to get an out, but the throw was misplayed by the Jackson second baseman. Moore scored to tie the game on a fielder’s choice, but the error allowed Dodd to score the winning run.

The Rangers survived and advanced in the winner’s bracket.

Laramie manager Aaron Lozano knew his team just found a way to win.

“I think at the state tournament, you’ve got to get a win however you can do it.”

The Rangers won with just five hits. Two of those were by Aidan Morris, who gave Laramie a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI triple to left-center field.

Jackson took the lead in the sixth with four runs on four hits.

The Rangers responded with a run in the sixth on Ryan Chamberlain’s RBI groundout. That set the stage for Laramie’s seventh-inning heroics.

Mason Branch got the win in relief. Parker Bleggi took the loss for Jackson.

Lozano added, “One thing we’ve seen throughout the year is this team, they don’t give up. I think I’ve said that on this broadcast a couple of times. It’s hard to keep the Rangers down. We find ways to win, and throw it into game one of the state tournament, and it’s pretty exciting.”

The Rangers advance in the winner’s bracket and will play Gillette at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Laramie is 3-2 in five meetings against the Riders this season.

KOWB will provide live coverage at 6:45 p.m. You can listen on the radio (AM 1290), through the KOWB app, online, or through smart speakers. David Settle will call the game.