Wild Game Two Ends Laramie's Win Streak

For the second time this season, the Laramie Rangers split a doubleheader against the Casper Oilers. This time it was on Tuesday at Cowboy Field.

Laramie (12-8) ran their win streak to six straight games with a 7-3 victory in the opener. Casper battled past the Rangers in the nightcap, 17-15, in eight innings.

Manager Aaron Lozano said his club tends to play to the level of competition.

“The Oilers team that we saw tonight (Tuesday), I know they were missing some guys, but that’s a team with the way they were comprised tonight, that both games probably should have ended with a Rangers victory much sooner than they ended. One ends in a loss, one goes the distance."

Behind early offense and some good pitching, Laramie won game one of the twin bill. The Rangers built a 7-1 lead through three innings and held off any comeback attempt by Casper.

Aidan Morris led the offense with two hits, which included a double, and three RBI’s. Billy Jenkin was the winning pitcher. He lasted 5.2 innings and allowed only three runs on five hits. Jenkins struck out three and walked only two batters.

Game two was a wild, high-scoring marathon. It took three-and-a-half hours to complete. The teams had to play an extra-inning to decide it. Both used six pitchers in the game.

The Rangers held a 3-2 lead after three innings. Casper exploded with eight runs in the fourth and took a 10-3 lead. Laramie came right back with seven runs in the same frame and tied it at 10-10. After an RBI-double by Calvin Webb scored Ryan Chamberlain for an 11-10 edge, the Oilers came right back with four runs in the sixth inning. It was 15-12 in the bottom of the seventh when the Rangers rallied for the tie. Riley Hogsett hit a two-run single to right field, which forced extra innings. Casper scored twice on back-to-back hit batters with the bases loaded for a 17-15 lead and held on for the victory.

Lozano said there was one thing he pointed out to the team in game two.

“Last year, this was a game that in the big inning (for the opponent), they fold, and they lose by 10 or 15 runs. I thought they showed a lot of character tonight (Tuesday), a lot of grit. They could’ve made some play and could’ve got out of here with a win. They could’ve taken advantage of some errors and things on Casper’s part, and they didn’t do that, but they didn’t quit, either. I think that’s something worth mentioning.”

Hogsett went 4-4 with four RBI’s. Jenkin added two hits, which included a double, and drove in two runs. Hunter Lundahl took the loss on the mound.

Laramie is right back in action on Wednesday with a conference doubleheader at the Sheridan Troopers. The twin bill is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Thorne-Rider Stadium.

Lozano had some praise for Sheridan manager Ben Phillips and the Troopers.

“I think Sheridan’s always been kind of underrated in American Legion Baseball in Wyoming. I think, typically, Cheyenne and Gillette get a lot of attention. Last year, Casper did. I do think the ‘East’ (Conference) is a pretty strong place for baseball in the state of Wyoming. Sheridan is one of those teams that we’ve seen what they do in other sports, they have a lot of great athletes up there, and we’re excited to get on the field.”

The Rangers turn to their top two pitchers in Tyler Oppie and Ryan Chamberlain for the doubleheader.