Rangers Drop Twin Bill in Gillette on Thursday

The regular season concluded with a pair of losses on the road in Gillette for the Laramie Rangers on Thursday night.

Laramie (27-24, 2-10) dropped both games in the conference doubleheader. The final scores were 3-2 and 9-3.

In the opener, the Roughriders scored two runs in the first inning and added another in the fourth and held off the Rangers. Laramie got within 2-1 on an RBI-infield hit by Caleb Eaton, but Gillette answered right back. They closed within 3-2 on Calvin Webb’s RBI-hit in the seventh but a strikeout ended the game.

Eaton had three hits, which included a double, and an RBI. Tyler Oppie started and went three innings but he suffered the loss on the mound.

In the nightcap, the Riders broke the game open with seven total runs in the third and fourth innings.

Laramie had six total hits sprinkled throughout their lineup. Oppie and Ben Ruckman produced RBI-hits for the Rangers. Ruckman took the loss, as he started and went 2.1 innings.

In that game, Gillette had a starting lineup that featured all seniors and college returners.

The Rangers will be the No. 4 seed from the East Conference heading into the Wyoming Legion Baseball Class AA 2020 State Tournament. They will face either Evanston or Jackson in their first-round game next Wednesday, Aug. 5 in Rock Springs. Those teams play each other in Jackson on Friday to finish off the seeding from the West Conference.

KOWB (AM 1290) will broadcast all the Laramie Rangers’ games from next week’s state tournament. They are also available anywhere with the KOWB app or online at kowb1290.com.