A tale of two games

Pioneers dominant in opener; lose 17-2 to Halos in nightcap

Posted 6/16/20

With a first game sendoff from an NFL athlete more used to a football, the Powell Pioneers sailed to an 11-2 home win over the Billings Halos on Wednesday behind their ace lefthander Colin Queen.

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A tale of two games

Pioneers dominant in opener; lose 17-2 to Halos in nightcap

Posted

With a first game sendoff from an NFL athlete more used to a football, the Powell Pioneers sailed to an 11-2 home win over the Billings Halos on Wednesday behind their ace lefthander Colin Queen.

It was a whole different story in game two, with Billings clubbing 14 hits in a five-inning outing to sink the Pioneers 17-2. The split in the two games leaves the Pioneers with a 3-2 record for the season.

Marcus Epps, a former defensive back for the Wyoming Cowboys now with the Philadelphia Eagles, threw out the first ball for the Wednesday doubleheader at Ed Lynn Memorial Field. Make that two first tosses from two different Epps throwers: Marcus’s son, 3-year-old Braxton, also got in the act. Epps is working out in Cody as he awaits the start of the Eagles’ training camp and the NFL season.

Queen gave up two unearned runs in the first inning when the Halos scored on two errors and their only hit of the game, an RBI single.  But he slammed the door after that.  Queen pitched 5.1 innings, striking out nine Billings batters.

“Colin [Queen] threw an absolutely amazing game,” said Pioneers manager Joe Cates.

And the good thing is Queen’s got more in the tank, according to his coach.

“He struggled a little with his walks,” Cates said. “He walked four, and he doesn’t usually have that trouble with his control.”

The Pioneers wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard themselves in the first game. Singles by Brock Johnson and Landon Sessions, sandwiched around a walk, set the table for Ashton Brewer, who delivered a two-run single to knot the score at 2-2.

The Pioneers grabbed the lead in the second inning and never looked back. In their four-run second, Jhett Schwahn singled, Keaton Rowton doubled and Kobe Ostermiller walked to load the bases. Johnson had an RBI single, Colin Queen scored another with a sacrifice fly, and Sessions drove in two with another hit.

In game two, the Halos scored early and often against three Powell pitchers. Landon Sessions worked two innings, Cade Queen went 1.2 innings and Canyon Gonzales finished with 1.1 innings.

“We struggled throwing strikes,” said Cates. “We walked four and hit three batters.”

As the season progresses, the Pioneers coach believes his pitching “will be fine.”

“We had limited guys available after playing in the C tournament last weekend. Some of our guys are just 15 and played in the tournament to get some experience. I wasn’t going to throw them,” Cates said.

The Pioneers collected only five hits in the second game.

“We put the ball in play, but when we hit it, we hit right at them [Billings] every time,” he added.

The Pioneers host three games today (Tuesday) in round-robin play against Lovell and Douglas. Powell plays Douglas at 1 p.m., followed by Lovell vs. Douglas and Powell vs. Lovell.

  

Line scores:

Billings   200 000 0 — R 2 - H 1  - E 3

Powell    245 000 X — R 11 - H 11 - E 3

 

Billings    427 40X X — R 17 - H 14 - E 3

Powell     020 00X X — R 2 - H 5 - E 4

Powell Pioneers

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