Pioneers persevere after early state tests

Play Tuesday afternoon

Posted 7/30/24

Two late inning comebacks kept the Powell Pioneers’ postseason churning along at home, as the defending state champs rallied against Gillette 10-4 on Saturday and   against Lovell 8-4 on …

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Pioneers persevere after early state tests

Play Tuesday afternoon

Posted

Two late inning comebacks kept the Powell Pioneers’ postseason churning along at home, as the defending state champs rallied against Gillette 10-4 on Saturday and  against Lovell 8-4 on Sunday to stay in the hunt for another title.

    

POWELL 10, GILLETTE 4

Kicking off the tournament at home the Pioneers (44-18) matched up with the Rustlers (33-31) with nerves playing a part early for the hosts.

Powell recorded some early errors, as Gillette got two runners on via a single and a hit batter.

An error at second base scored one, and an error on a sac bunt scored another to make it 2-0 with one out.

Another single brought in a pair, and Gillette led 4-0 after the top of the second.

“We just had to settle down. We came out tight, we had a big crowd,” manager Jason Borders said. “I think the emotions of the first game at our place, that all played a part in it … We just needed to settle down and come back and play our game. The good thing about it is it happened early.”

Powell got runs back in the bottom half of the inning, when Trey Stenerson led off with a double and Jhett Schwahn hit a single to put runners on the corners.

Schwahn stole second, before Cole Fauskee grounded out to score a run and make it 4-1.

Dalton Worstell followed with a single to score another and Powell loaded the bases with one out but couldn’t do more damage, trailing 4-2 after the second.

Jordan Loera calmed things down on the mound, with Powell pitching a shutout from that point forward until the offense came to life in the bottom of the fifth.

“We’ve relied on Jordan all year, he’s come in and given us quality innings to where he shut the door on them … He’s huge for us right now,” Borders said. “Aiden (Greenwald) wasn’t throwing bad, but we wanted to throw three guys Saturday night to where we can have all those guys back for crucial games later.”

One of those key shutdowns came in the top of the third, when Trevion Solberg caught a deep ball and turned a double play to get a runner out at first and prevent any damage.

“That was a big play … That could have went another way but he made the play,” Borders said.

Cade Queen doubled to lead off the fifth and a Stenerson single brought him in.

Stenerson stole second then advanced to third on a passed ball, and Schwahn drove him in on a single to tie the game 4-4.

Fauskee singled, with Schwahn scoring on errant throws to take the lead, and Fauskee advanced all the way to third.

Jacob Gibson walked to put runners on the corners, and an errant throw on a run down attempt of Gibson allowed Fauskee to score and Gibson to reach second.

The Pioneers couldn’t do any more damage, but put the game out of reach in the sixth.

Queen reached on an error and Stenerson singled to put two on with no outs.

Schwahn singled and scored one, before Fauskee singled to score a pair and make it 9-4.

Gibson reached on an error, and Brock Johnson walked to load the bases with two outs.

Fauskee scored on a passed ball, and Powell led 10-4.

The Pioneers kept that lead, and advanced in the winners’ bracket to Sunday night.

Powell outhit Gillette 13-5, but committed more errors 5-4.

“It took us a little bit to get going and get the jitters out of us but I felt like we were ourselves those last three innings. It just took a while,” Borders said.

Fauskee led Powell at the plate going 3-5 with four RBIs, and Schwahn went 3-3 with two RBIs. Stenerson and Worstell each had an RBI for the Pioneers.

Loera got the win on the mound, going 4-1/3 and giving up three hits. Greenwald gave up two hits and four runs, none earned, in the 1-1/3 inning start. Queen closed the final inning with two strikeouts.

    

POWELL 8, LOVELL 4

That win Saturday advanced Powell to a matchup with a familiar opponent, the Mustangs (23-24-2), for the fifth time this season.

Powell got off to a quick start, when Johnson singled and advanced to second on a passed ball, and Ethan Welch moved Johnson to third on a single to put runners on the corners.

Both runners scored when Stenerson hit a deep double, and Powell led 2-0 after the first.

Acting as the home team on the scoreboard, Lovell got on the board in the bottom of the third.

Two singles and a passed ball advanced a runner to third, and a fielder’s choice scored a run to make it 2-1.

Lovell captured the momentum and took advantage of poor Pioneer defense in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead.

“We have got to cut down on our errors,” Borders said. “That’s not us, we haven’t had multiple error games like that back-to-back in a long time … I don’t know what it is, the lights and the crowds playing at home in front of a lot of people making them nervous and anxious. It’s almost like we’re hurrying and not setting our feet.”

A walk and two unsuccessful throw outs on bunts loaded the bases for Lovell with no outs, but Stenerson nearly escaped the inning unscathed in relief after two straight strikeouts.

Unfortunately two straight singles scored three for the Mustangs, but Powell escaped without more damage and trailed 4-2.

Powell returned the favor in the top of the fifth, when Loera walked, Johnson advanced on an error and Welch singled to load the bases with one out.

Queen singled and scored one, before a high hit ball from Stenerson was lost in the lights and dropped for a single and allowed for two runs to score and make it 5-4.

Queen and Stenerson advanced on an errant pickoff attempt, and Schwahn hit into an error to score Queen.

That error proved costly, as Stenerson rounded home and Schwahn raced around and reached third with the lead at 7-4.

Powell added one more in the top of the sixth, when Greenwald was hit by a pitch to lead off, and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Johnson joined him after a walk, and Greenwald advanced to third on a wild pitch to get in prime scoring position.

Welch hit into a fielder’s choice and beat out a double play that Greenwald to score and make it 8-4.

Powell did not allow a baserunner in the sixth or seventh innings.

Stenerson led at the plate, going 2-4 with four RBIs. Welch, Queen and Schwahn each had an RBI.

Lovell outhit Powell 11-7, but committed four errors in the contest.

Queen gave up seven hits but no runs in the first three innings on the mound, Stenerson gave up four hits, three earned runs but had six strikeouts in 3-1/3. Johnson came on to close with the final strikeout.

“Trey is back to being Trey,” Borders said. “He’s going to throw again in this tournament, there’s no doubt about it. It was big for him to come in and finish that game and eat some innings for us. We planned on Cade going further but his pitch count got pushed up.”

    

TOURNAMENT CONTINUES

That win means Powell continues in the winners’ bracket, taking part in the semifinal matchup Monday night at 7 p.m. against Cody (37-19-1).

“If we cut back on our errors we’re going to be tough,” Borders said Monday. “All the runs they’ve been getting is what we’ve been giving them. I told them last night that the only team that can beat them here is them. I feel that’s the truth, if we quit beating ourselves then those games aren’t as close as they have been.”

That result was determined after the press deadline.

A win Monday guarantees Powell or Cody a spot on Wednesday in the state championship, with the loser needing a win Tuesday to advance to Wednesday.

If the Monday winner wins again on Tuesday afternoon, they will have two opportunities to win the state championship on Wednesday.

If the winner of Monday’s game loses Tuesday, then the two winners on Tuesday will play Wednesday at 11 a.m. before taking on the Monday night winner at 2 p.m. for the title.

Tuesday’s matchups will attempt to not rematch any teams from earlier in the tournament unless it is absolutely necessary.

“Everything has worked out well for us (as far as pitching),” Borders said. “We’ve been able to keep guys under so we can get them back later in the tournament. I think we’re set up better than most teams in the state, we’re so deep pitching … You get deep in these tournaments and you can go to seven, eight, nine guys confidently … If things don’t go right tonight (Monday) and we have to win three more baseball games to get this thing done, then we’ll have the pitching to do it and it makes a guy pretty confident we can go compete.”

An updated bracket as of Monday morning is located below, daily updates are posted to the Powell Tribune Facebook page and Instagram.

    

UPDATED BRACKET

(As of Monday morning)

PRIOR RESULTS

Game 1: Cody def. Sheridan 9-1

Game 2: Casper def. Evanston 13-3

Game 3: Lovell def. Torrington 13-3

Game 4: Powell def. Gillette 10-4

Game 5: Evanston def. Sheridan 5-3 — Sheridan eliminated

Game 6: Torrington def. Gillette 12-11 — Gillette eliminated

Game 7: Cody def. Casper 5-4

Game 8: Powell def. Lovell 8-4

MONDAY

Game 9: 1 p.m. Torrington vs. Casper — Loser out

Game 10: 4 p.m. Evanston vs. Lovell — Loser out

Game 11: 7 p.m. Powell vs. Cody

TUESDAY

Game 12: 1 p.m. Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11

Game 13: 4 p.m. Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11

WEDNESDAY

Game 14: 11 a.m. Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13 — Championship game

Game 15: 2 p.m. Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14 (If necessary)

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