Pioneers win one in North Dakota

Posted 6/19/12

“They threw together two three-team pools, so you played the two other teams in your pool and then on Sunday the two third place teams played. The two second place teams played and then the pool champions met,” said Powell coach Mike Jameson, …

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Pioneers win one in North Dakota

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Thief River Falls steals win in final game

The Powell Pioneers won just one of three games at a rain-shortened weekend tournament in Williston. The team had been scheduled to play five games over three days, but rains that descended in the first inning of Friday’s game forced a redesign of the schedule.

“They threw together two three-team pools, so you played the two other teams in your pool and then on Sunday the two third place teams played. The two second place teams played and then the pool champions met,” said Powell coach Mike Jameson, whose team sits 11-10 on the season following the weekend.

The Pioneers’ first official game came Saturday against Glasgow, Mont. Powell rolled to a 16-6 victory in the contest.

Ty Whiteman threw four solid innings to pick up the win. Frankie Vogt continued on a tear, driving home five runs with a pair of doubles as part of a 2-for-5 game at the plate. Jake Beuster added a home run that came in a 2-for-2 performance that saw him score four runs for the Pioneers.

Whiteman was credited with striking out five Glasgow batters.

In its other pool game, the Pioneers saw a seven-game winning streak halted in an 11-5 loss to Dickinson, N.D. Olie Olson was roughed up as Powell’s starter, giving up six walks and five earned runs in just an inning and a third of work. Cory Heny came on in relief, giving up another six runs and six hits.

Vogt finished 3-for-3 at the plate, drivng a ball out of the yard and doubling to record a pair of RBIs. Beuster added a 2-for-2 day that added two RBIs to his season count. Olson added an RBI while Heny also got a hit and scored a run.

On Sunday, Powell wrapped up its tournament appearance with a 5-4 loss to Thief River Falls, Minn. The Pioneers led 4-2 entering the final inning, but a pair of errors to begin the bottom half of the seventh enabled the Minnesota team to tie the score. Moments later, another base hit delivered a bitter loss to Powell.

“That was kind of a tough one to swallow,” said Jameson. “Hayden Cragoe threw a whale of a game for us, but we let him down with some errors in the field.”

Cragoe finished with just one earned run allowed in 6.1 innings of work. He struck out three and walked a pair while allowing seven hits.

“He had a real good day,” Jameson said of Cragoe’s performance. “He was throwing his knuckleball and his curveball for strikes and really had them off balance.”

Vogt was 2-for-4 in the game with an RBI. Beuster was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Heny, Bryce Wright and Jared Wantulok each added hits.

The Pioneers played the entire tournament without the service of Seth Gilmore. Gilmore, the Pioneers’ top hitter last season, suffered a hairline fracture in his shoulder while diving to field a ball in practice leading up to the tournament.

Jameson said he was uncertain when Gilmore might be able to return to action.

“My understanding is they’re not concerned about the hairline fracture as much as they are the tendons,” Jameson said on Monday morning. “When he dove, he also dislocated it a bit and so they’re concerned that might inflame the tendons. I think they’re going to give it a week or two and then see where it’s at.”

The Pioneers have a flurry of action planned for the week ahead. Powell hosts Cody for a Tuesday doubleheader and Riverton on Thursday for another doubleheader. All four of those games will count in the Northwest quadrant standings.

Powell will also host its own summer tournament this weekend. That event will bring Cody, Lovell, Sheridan, the Billings Halos and Williston, N.D., to town for a series of games.

“It’ll be a great week,” said Jameson. “We should have about eight home games.”

First pitch in Tuesday’s doubleheader with Cody is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

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