Playing your best baseball at the state tournament sometimes means to survive and advance, and the Powell Pioneers did just that in the opening game on Monday defeating a tough Cheyenne squad 4-1 behind a strong Brock Johnson performance.

Early in the contest, Cheyenne (30-17 overall) and Powell (33-20-1 overall) both struggled at the plate as the only hit between the two teams through two innings was an Aidan Wantulok single.

The Pioneers started strong with dominant pitching and defense, but allowed a fielding error to continue the top half of the third inning and give Cheyenne early life.

Johnson walked two additional batters, loading the bases for Cheyenne with two outs.

Not giving Cheyenne a chance, he struck out the final batter to get out of the jam unharmed.

At the plate, Johnson got things started in the third with a single.

He was brought all the way around by Jhett Schwahn in the next at bat, as a bobbled ball in right-center field allowed Johnson to score — with Schwahn advancing to second on the throw home.

Powell was unable to add any more runs, but the early score allowed the Pioneers to settle in offensively.

“I think we came out like we sometimes do,” Pioneers Manager Jason Borders said. “It is the first game of the state tournament, we came out tight and they came out tight. We just got it going a little quicker than they did.”

On the mound, Johnson continued his strong performance, not allowing a hit through five innings.

Again for the Pioneers, it was Johnson and Schwahn who got the offense going in the fifth inning.

Johnson got a single followed by another single by Schwahn, putting two runners on.

Cade Queen stepped up to the plate, and hit a double to left field — bringing in both runners to extend the lead to 3-0.

Wantulok walked, but a double play got runners out at second and first to end Powell’s threat.

The no-hitter for Johnson was broken up in the sixth, and a subsequent throwing error on the hit gave Cheyenne a runner at second with no outs.

A heads up play between Johnson and Aiden Greenwald forced the Cheyenne runner into a run down and he was tagged out as the lead runner.

Johnson hit his pitch count in the sixth, sending Queen to the mound.

“I will put my pitching staff up against anybody,” Borders said. “I think we are deep, and we are built for a tournament like this.”

Multiple walks got Queen into a jam as the bases were loaded with two outs.

Queen, much like Johnson, got out of the jam with a strikeout to end the inning.

Jacob Gibson led off the sixth for the Pioneers, reaching first base after a throwing error by the Cheyenne shortstop. A popped up bunt was caught and unable to advance him, but a single by Ethan Welch moved Gibson to second.

Johnson walked, loading the bases for the Pioneers.

Gibson finished the scoring for Powell, scoring on a wild pitch during Schwahn’s at bat to make it 4-0.

In the seventh, the Pioneers faced runners on the corners with only one out, bringing Greenwald onto the mound to keep Queen’s pitch count low for the coming days.

Cheyenne got its lone run on the board on a single, but the Pioneers saw the game out finishing with the 4-1 victory.

Powell out hit Cheyenne 7-2, and both teams finished with two errors each in the contest.

Johnson finished with 10 strikeouts on the mound.

“I never in a million years thought we would be playing them in the first game of the state tournament,” Borders said. “I thought they would be a high seed, but that is what we got dealt and Brock does what Brock does.”

Following the victory, the Pioneers advanced in the winner’s half of the state bracket and will take on the winner of Casper (34-13-1 overall) and Green River (20-25 overall) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday (today) in Cody.

The Casper-Green River game was scheduled to take place Monday at 4 p.m. and the result was determined after press time.