Rangers Stumble in Spearfish

The road to South Dakota and back proved to be a long one for the Laramie Rangers, who went 1-3 in tournament action over the weekend.

Laramie (9-15) won their opener but lost their last three games at the 10th annual Alan Tellinghuisen Memorial tournament in Spearfish, SD.

The Rangers defeated Billings Upper Deck (MT) 10-5 Friday in their first pool play game. Laramie had only five hits but took advantage of eight walks, three Billings errors and ten stolen bases. A six-run second inning put the Rangers in front. Reid Baty was the winning pitcher.

Game two on Friday was a tough 5-2 lost to host Spearfish. Laramie scored two runs on a delayed steal of home and a passed ball in the fourth. That got them within 3-2, but Spearfish tacked on runs in the fifth and six for the victory. Albert Steiner took the loss. He went four and two-thirds innings and allowed four runs, two earned, on three hits. Steiner walked four with three strikeouts. The Rangers had just two hits and committed five errors.

The final pool play game was Saturday against Miles City, MT. Laramie lost 11-2 in five innings. Miles City scored at least two runs in all five frames.  Ramon Gomez started and took the loss. The Rangers had only three hits, which included an RBI-single from Albert Steiner.

In match play Sunday, Laramie faced Sturgis, SD and lost 11-6. The Rangers held a 5-4 lead, but Sturgis tied it in the fifth and then took the lead with six runs in the sixth. David Coulthard came on in relief and took the loss. Four defensive errors contributed in defeat. Caleb Eaton had three hits and two RBI’s, while Michael Schutterle added two hits and two RBI’s.

Laramie returns home Tuesday for a doubleheader versus Idaho Falls, ID. It starts at 5 p.m. from Cowboy Field.