Young but improving Powell drops to 4-8

After the Powell Pioneers dropped their doubleheader to Sheridan on Tuesday, assistant coach Pat Day left his team with a positive message.

“We’re improving, regardless of what the scoreboard says,” Day told them.

While Day’s words may hold some weight, as Powell’s hitting, defense and pitching showed flashes of brilliance between four games on Monday and Tuesday, the end result was a 1-3 stretch that dropped Powell to 4-8 this season.

At Lovell on Monday, Powell split two games 5-2, 3-1 before succumbing to Sheridan 16-5, 15-2.

“I thought we hit the ball way better than we have in a week ... we started to hit the ball better last night (at Lovell on Monday), and it started to carry over,” Powell head coach Jason Borders said. “We’ve just got to get better. We’ll try to use this as a learning tool and do whatever we can to learn from our mistakes.”

Sheridan 15, Powell 2

In the back end of the Tuesday doubleheader, Powell starting pitcher was roughed up for six runs in the first inning, and the Pioneers were unable to recover.

Kaden Moore surrendered 10 runs, all earned, with three walks and three strikeouts. As a staff, three Pioneers pitchers allowed 14 earned runs on 14 hits.

The Powell lineup managed eight hits, paced by Teagan Cordes’s three-hit day. Carson Asher had two hits and both of Powell’s RBIs, and Tyler Feller added two hits. All eight Powell hits were singles.

“Sheridan is a double A team ... they’re a little more experienced, a little more mature than us,” Borders said. “Playing these teams, and the Billings teams, the Miles City teams, this will be good for us in the long run.”

Sheridan 16, Powell 5

The Pioneer offense looked sharp in the first game of the twin bill, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning and tying the game at five in the third.

But a six-run fourth inning from Sheridan all but put the game away for the visitors.

Pioneers starter Ty Dearcorn allowed 10 runs, nine earned, on eight hits. He walked four and struck out none.

A Cory Heny ground out in the first scored Cordes after he singled to start the game. After a five spot from Sheridan in the second frame, Powell chipped away with two runs on a Dearcorn single and a Sheridan error. Ezra Andreasen and Dearcorn both walked with the bases loaded in the third to tie it before Sheridan poured on the offense to run away with the win. Powell finished with seven hits.

Lovell 3, Powell 1

The Pioneers fell short of a sweep of the Mustangs despite a strong pitching effort from Asher. The righty went all six innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits with four walks and 11 strikeouts.

His offense was unable to make good of his outing though, mustering just one run on eight hits. Cordes, Asher and recent addition Toby Stowe each had two hits for Powell.

Powell 5, Lovell 2

Powell’s hitting showed the most life in their first game Monday, exploding for 12 hits while Heny paced his squad on the mound.

Asher went 3 for 4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs, while Cordes had two hits and two runs. Stowe also had two hits, and Heny and Moore each drove in runs.

Heny powered Powell on the mound with a complete game. He allowed seven hits and two runs while striking out eight and walking one. Powell never trailed in the game.

What’s next...

Powell will return to action when it travels to Riverton for the Riverton Tournament starting with a 7 p.m. game Thursday against Riverton. The Pioneers will continue play Friday with a noon game against Rawlins before finishing Saturday.

Ahead of their trip, Borders said he’s hoping to use Wednesday as a day to re-teach his team baseball basics in hopes of shoring up a variety of mistakes he thinks could’ve changed some of the happenings during his teams’ pair of doubleheaders.

“I think some of these kids are still learning baseball,” Borders said. “I think we’re going to have to go back to the whiteboard and maybe show them some things to help them understand a little better: timing, positioning, where to be in certain situations.

“We need to get these guys up to speed.”