Pioneers pummel Lovell

Posted 6/3/10

Center fielder Tyler England connected for an inside-the-park home run as part of a 4-for-6 night at the plate that included four RBIs and four runs scored. Scotty Jameson added four more RBIs as part of a 3-for-4 night.

In all, the Pioneers …

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Pioneers pummel Lovell

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{gallery}06_03_10/pioneers{/gallery}Grant Geiser delivers a pitch during Powell's 21-1 win over Lovell on Tuesday in Cowley. Geiser pitched a complete game, allowing one run and five hits while fanning eight. Tribune photo by Randal Horobik Conference play opens with lopsided 21-1 win For five innings on Tuesday, it appeared Lovell might challenge the Powell Pioneers in the team's first conference contest of the 2010 American Legion baseball season. Two innings later, the Cowley scoreboard looked more appropriate for a football game. The Pioneers broke Tuesday's game wide open with a six-run sixth inning. The team paraded 11 runs across home plate in the seventh to transform a four-run cushion into an eventual 21-1 rout.

Center fielder Tyler England connected for an inside-the-park home run as part of a 4-for-6 night at the plate that included four RBIs and four runs scored. Scotty Jameson added four more RBIs as part of a 3-for-4 night.

In all, the Pioneers hammered out 19 hits off Lovell pitching. All nine Powell starters finished with at least one hit. Eight of the nine scored two or more runs.

Powell opened scoring in the top of the first as the first three Pioneer batters reached base and eventually scored. Colter Bostick added an RBI double in the third — part of a 4-for-4 night at the dish — to elevate the score to 4-0 and set the table for the later fireworks.

Defensively, Grant Geiser kept Lovell off balance and off base for much of the night. The veteran Powell pitcher fanned eight and retired the first 11 batters he faced before Lovell reached base. Three of Lovell's five hits in the contest came in the bottom of the seventh, long after the game's outcome had been decided.

Pioneers win three at BIllings

In addition to Tuesday's game, the Pioneers played five games over the three-day Memorial Day weekend as part of a Billings tournament field. The team finished with a 3-1-1 record in the event.

Powell opened play Saturday with a 7-7 tie against the Halos in a contest that was stopped due to the tournament time limit. Powell held a 7-2 lead after two innings before its offense sputtered, recording just two hits over the final five innings.

Bostick's 3-for-4 performance was the only multi-hit game recorded by the Pioneers and included 3 RBIs.

Powell's offensive struggles carried over into the team's second Saturday game against Riverton. Through six innings, the Pioneers had just one hit and no runs as they trailed 3-0 in the contest.

In the seventh inning, the team snapped out of its funk. Powell tagged Riverton for four hits and scored four runs to rally for a 4-3 victory. Dallas Robirds' two-run single got the Pioneers on the scoreboard before Geiser and Jameson followed with the tying and winning RBIs.

Jacob Beuster took the win, holding Riverton to just a pair of triples in the game. Beuster fanned five Riverton batters, including back-to-back whiffs in the sixth inning to prevent a possible scoring threat.

On Sunday, Powell suffered a late-inning loss to the Billings Cardinals, falling 11-9. The team bounced back late in the day, though, for an 11-10 win over the Billings Blue Jays.

Bostick connected for a two-run home run as part of a 2-for-2, 3 RBI game against the Cardinals. Joe Wisniewski drove home two more runs as Powell played the Cardinals to a 9-9 deadlock after four innings.

The Pioneers missed a golden opportunity to win the game in the sixth, when Jameson led off with a double and Powell eventually loaded the bases with one out, only to come away empty when an infield fly and strikeout stranded everyone. The Cards added two runs off Colt Nix in the top of the seventh for the win.

Against the Blue Jays, Billings shelled Pioneer starter Olie Olson for seven runs in the first inning before Powell settled into the contest. The Pioneers answered in the bottom of the second, scoring eight runs to claim the lead.

The teams entered the seventh inning tied 10-10. Josh Cragoe's one-out single, followed by a double from Olson put runners on second and third, setting the stage for Beuster's pinch-hit RBI single to win the game.

Auston Carter picked up the win, coming in to throw the final four outs for the Pioneers.

Carter also picked up a victory on the mound on Memorial Day, tossing a three-hitter as the Pioneers blasted Lewistown, Mont., by a 12-1 final score in a game that was stopped after five innings due to the tournament's run rule.

Geiser went 3-for-4 and missed hitting for the cycle by only a single as he clubbed a two-run homer, a triple and a double as part of a 4 RBI day. Robirds and Bostick were also 3-for-4 in the game.

Carter struck out four batters in the win and needed just 67 pitches to go the distance.

The busy week of activity lifts the Pioneers to an 8-3-1 record so far this season, including 1-0 in conference play. Powell was scheduled to host Lovell last night (Wednesday) in another conference contest. The team travels to Riverton today (Thursday) to begin play in the three-day Riverton Tournament.

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