Pioneers prepare for busy Memorial Day weekend

Posted 5/24/12

“We’ve had to play a lot of folks out of position, and we’ve had to play a lot of younger kids,” Jameson said of his team’s early-season struggles. The Pioneers were swept 10-0 and 14-10 in their last outing, a doubleheader at Sheridan …

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Pioneers prepare for busy Memorial Day weekend

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Weather permitting, four games scheduled

After struggling to a 2-4 opening record that featured several makeshift lineups, Powell Pioneers head coach Mike Jameson is looking forward to being able to field a full-strength lineup this weekend in Billings.

“We’ve had to play a lot of folks out of position, and we’ve had to play a lot of younger kids,” Jameson said of his team’s early-season struggles. The Pioneers were swept 10-0 and 14-10 in their last outing, a doubleheader at Sheridan that saw Jameson have just 10 players available.

“We started four 16-year-olds in that doubleheader,” said Jameson. “We were definitely a little shorthanded.”

That shouldn’t be the case this weekend. The Pioneers will enjoy the return of several of their state-track qualifying members. The team will also welcome Jake Beuster back from junior college. Beuster has spent the spring throwing as a member of the Williston State College team, which advanced to the North-Central district championship game before falling one win shy of the national tournament.

Powell is slated to face Lewistown, Mont., on Saturday. On Sunday, the team will play a doubleheader against Billings programs, starting with the Cardinals and ending later in the day against the Billings Blue Jays. Powell’s tournament stay in Billings is set to conclude against the Casper Drillers on Monday.

All of those games, of course, are at the mercy of Mother Nature, which is currently delivering the threat of a rained-out weekend. Jameson is hopeful that won’t be the case.

In the Pioneers’ last outing, they were blanked 10-0 by Sheridan in a game where Powell was held to just two hits — singles from Frankie Vogt and Gage Henderson. Seth Gilmore took the loss in that contest, allowing 10 hits and a pair of walks while striking out six.

“He threw a lot better than the score indicates,” Jameson said. “We made it tough on him. Sheridan is a good hitting team, but we didn’t help him well at all.”

Powell fared better in game 2, a 14-10 loss. Ty Whiteman threw 5.1 innings, allowing 12 hits and fanning six while surrendering only one walk. Vogt finished the game, recording the final five outs.

“It was kind of a learning experience for Whiteman,” said Jameson. “He learned a bit about how he needs to work down in the zone against better hitting teams. He realized what was going on and you could see him adjusting as the game went on. Hopefully he’ll continue to progress, because he’s done a good job keeping the ball around the plate, and we can definitely build off that.”

The Pioneers also grew at the plate in game 2, logging nine hits. Gilmore went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Vogt added a 2-for-5 performance with an RBI. Bryce Wright was 2-for-3 and Henderson was 2-for-4.

“I know it doesn’t look like it, but pitching was one of the bright spots for us that weekend,” said Jameson.

The Pioneers won’t have to wait long to take a crack at Sheridan at full strength. Powell is scheduled to host the Troopers in a Sunday, June 3, doubleheader that will serve as a prelude to conference play.

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