Powell's 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars ventured to Green River for the state tournament last week and came away with a runner-up finish after posting a 2-2 mark.Powell opened the tournament Friday with a 7-4 decision over Sheridan. The victory was sparked by solid pitching, timely hitting and strong defensive play in the field, said coach Rob Cragoe, whose team scored five runs in the seventh inning.Handling the majority of the pitching duties for Powell were Cooper Wise and Justin Lynn, who combined for just less than seven innings of work. Hayden Cragoe also saw time on the mound and recorded the final out of the game against the lone batter he faced.“Sheridan has a good group of kids, and it was a great game,” Coach Cragoe said. “Our kids played well, and made the plays they needed to make.”Later Friday, Powell suffered its first loss of the tournament, an 11-8 setback at the hands of Jackson Hole.Powell fell behind 3-2 during the first inning, and later found themselves facing a 7-2 deficit after three innings. Powell struck for a combined six runs during the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but a four-run fifth by Jackson proved to be the difference in the outcome.Hayden Cragoe, who worked two innings, and BreAnn Hollenbeck, who got five innings of work, shouldered the pitching load for Powell.“We fought our way back into it,” Coach Cragoe said. “This team is noted for that. They kept battling because they never thought they were out of it.”

In its third game, Powell used a 12-hit attack to overpower Gillette 9-5 Saturday. Powell also got six strong innings of pitching from Wise and almost two full innings from Lynn in relief. Hayden Cragoe, like he did in Powell's first game of the tournament, retired the final batter of the game, only this time the bases were loaded when his services were called on by Powell's coaching staff.Saturday evening and after three round-robin games, Powell found itself in the championship game against Gillette. The rematch, however, didn't follow the same script as the previous meeting between the two teams, and Gillette walked away with a 13-8 victory. They did so despite a strong combined pitching effort by Lynn, the starter, Wise and Marshall McArthur.Gillette notched a 3-2 lead after the first inning and pushed its advantage to 5-3 after four innings. In the fifth, Gillette broke open the game with seven runs. Gillette added another run in the seventh while Powell scored five in the final inning.“We made them nervous,” Coach Cragoe said of Powell's comeback attempt.Powell's seventh inning featured seven hits. That hit total almost climbed to eight, but Coach Cragoe said Gillette's third baseman made a nice grab on a hard line drive off the bat of Tyler Patterson with two outs to end the comeback attempt.“The kid just made a great play at third for the final out,” said Coach Cragoe, who also credited the Powell players for their drive and determination on the field. “Our kids played very well throughout the tournament. These kids know each other very well, and they do a great job together. Everybody had a hand in what we accomplished, and they were a lot of fun to coach.”