Sweep of Cody puts team in control

The Powell Pioneers American Legion baseball team grabbed a commanding lead in Northwest conference play following a sweep of Cody last week. The wins leave the Pioneers as the lone unbeaten team in the conference play.

Powell took a 17-7 win in the opener before settling for a 9-4 victory in the second half of the doubleheader.

After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the second, the Pioneers took control in the bottom half of the frame. Powell sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring eight of them. Frankie Vogt got the inning started with a base hit, then doubled in his second at-bat of the inning to drive home two runs. Justin Lynn also delivered a two-out double to chase across two runs while Josh Cragoe singled to bring home another two runs as the Pioneers did much of their damage with two outs in the inning.

Cody recovered one run in the third, but Powell continued to pull away by scoring four times in its turn at bat. Starting pitcher Jake Beuster helped his own cause by singling home a pair of runs.

After a trio of Cody runs in the fourth inning, Powell closed out the contest with two runs in the bottom half of the fourth and three more in the sixth inning. Vogt’s one-out RBI single provided the run that invoked the 10-run rule.

For the game, Vogt was 4-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs. Seth Gilmore added a 2-for-4 performance that included a triple and three RBIs.

Beuster went the distance on the mound, giving up 10 hits and three walks, but striking out eight to improve to 3-2 overall for the summer.

In the nightcap, three of the Pioneers’ first four batters doubled as Powell jumped to a four-run lead before Cody was able to score twice in the top of the third inning. Powell added three runs in the fourth and two more runs in the fifth. Cody managed just lone runs in the fifth and seventh off Powell’s Colt Nix.

Josh Cragoe missed by a home run of hitting for the cycle, finishing 3-for-4 with a double and a triple. Tyler England added a 2-for-2 showing that included a pair of doubles.

In all, the Pioneers pounded out 13 hits, eight of which went for extra bases. Three of those came from Gilmore, who doubled three times as part of a 3-for-4 night.

Nix went the distance, allowing just six hits and five walks. He struck out four Cody batters while upping his record to 5-3 this year.

Pioneers split with Angels

The Pioneers were also in action on Friday night against the Billings Angels. The doubleheader replaced the team’s annual Heavy Metal Classic tournament, which fell apart at the last minute due to the withdrawal of a pair of teams.

The contests against the Angels, the B-team of the Billings Halos, allowed the Pioneers to give extensive playing time to several of the club’s younger players.

That youth was on full display in game 1, which ended in a 14-11 loss for Powell.

Billings jumped ahead 4-0 before the Pioneers were able to swing a bat as two costly errors allowed the Angels to start the game with a big inning.

Powell answered with two runs in its half of the inning, then grabbed the lead by hanging five runs on the board in the second inning. Billings recovered a run in the third and tied the game at 9-9 in the fourth, chasing starting pitcher Garrett Czapla from the mound.

Billings continued to score against Powell relievers Justin Lynn and Olie Olson to score the win.

Hayden Cragoe finished 3-for-5 in the contest with a double and two RBIs. Gilmore added three RBIs as part of a 1-for-3 night that included a double.

The Pioneers rebounded in the late game for a 14-4 win in five innings. Vogt and Gilmore combined to fan eight Angels batters and limited the visiting club to just two hits.

England was 1-for-1 in the game, but scored four runs after drawing three walks for the Pioneers, who looked far more aggressive on the base paths in the night game. Olson added a 2-for-2 night that included a triple and four RBIs.

The performance moved Powell’s record to 17-12 for the season. The Pioneers have a 4-0 record in conference play and are two games ahead of their closest pursuers in the loss column in Northwest conference play.

The Pioneers look to remain unbeaten in conference play this Wednesday when the team resumes play at Riverton in a 3 p.m. afternoon doubleheader. Powell goes to Douglas for two games on Friday before returning home Saturday night for a pair of games against Green River. The team hosts Rock Springs in an 11 a.m. nine-inning game on Sunday.

Pioneers Statistics

Home runs — Seth Gilmore 3, Frankie Vogt 2, Tyler England 1, Josh Cragoe 1, Olie Olson 1.

Runs scored — Seth Gilmore 28, Josh Cragoe 26, Olie Olson 21, Tyle rEngland 19, Colt Nix 17, Frankie Vogt 14, Jake Beuster 12, Gage Henderson 5, Justin Lynn 5, Garrett Czapla 5, Hayden Cragoe 4, Nathan Fulton 3, Cory Elton 1.

Pitching

Saves — Seth Gilmore 1, Olie Olson 1, Hayden Cragoe 1.

Note: Stats listed above do not include performances from the Cody and Billings Angels doubleheaders played late last week.