The Powell Pioneers split a pair of conference home games Tuesday night, falling in the first contest 2-1 before rebounding to earn a split with a 9-1 second game win over the visiting Lovell Mustangs.

LOVELL 2, POWELL 1

Back home after a busy weekend in Billings the Pioneers (10-15-1 overall, 3-3 Senior North) welcomed in the Mustangs (5-13 overall, 1-1 Senior North) to continue conference action.

Baserunners were hard to come by in a pitcher’s duel, as Powell got two on in the first with a Ben Ostermiller walk and Dominik Bieber single.

Each team had one baserunner in the second, but none in the third as the Mustangs threatened in the fourth.

A walk and single got two on base for the visitors, but a double play on a running catch in right field by Caden Diaz thrown to second base saved the Pioneers from a scoring threat.

A Bieber single and a walk to Kolby Gates got two on in the bottom half for Powell, but the Pioneers were unable to strike once again.

Lovell had one on in the top of the fifth, and Powell had its best chance to score in the bottom half of the inning.

Carter Fauskee led off with a double, and Abel Teten’s sac bunt attempt led to indecision by the Mustangs, and a bad throw to second allowed him to reach first while Fauskee was held up at second.

Disaster struck when Fauskee was picked off by a catcher’s throw to second during another sac bunt attempt, and Powell was unable to threaten any further as it remained 0-0 heading into the sixth.

Lovell struck first in the sixth, as a walk and a bunt that led to an errant play at second on a fielder’s choice put baserunners on the corners for the Mustangs with no outs.

The Lovell runner stole second, but on a hit to shortstop, Talon Nuss looked long enough to hold the lead runner at third before throwing to first for an out.

Unfortunately, an attempt to gamble and garner a second out led to a Pioneers error, as Lovell scored a run and advanced the second runner to third.

A wild pitch during the next at bat allowed for a second run to score and Powell trailed 2-0.

“Those errors cost us. Sometimes we just can’t get out of our own way,” manager Jason Borders said. “It happens, it seems to happen to us a lot in the last month or so.”

In the bottom half of the inning, Bieber got on with a one out single, and advanced to second on a ground out.

Gates singled to score him, and cut the lead to 2-1.

Unfortunately for the Pioneers, that was the final baserunner as that remained the score to end the contest.

“I felt like we were fine in the first game, it was just a baseball game. One of those nights,” Borders said.

Bieber had three of the five hits for the Pioneers, as Powell outhit Lovell 5-2 but the only two errors of the game went against the Pioneers.

Ben Ostermiller went the distance, pitching all seven innings, giving up only two hits and one earned run, recording six strikeouts with four walks.

“He [Ostermiller] was in control pretty much the whole game. He threw a gem, we should have won it,” Borders said. “We just didn’t back him up.”

POWELL 9, LOVELL 1

The Mustangs again struck first in the second game, as offense came earlier and more often.

Two singles and a double allowed for one run to score for the visitors as Lovell led 1-0 after the top of the first.

Powell responded, as Nuss and Jordan Loera walked to start with no outs.

Bieber hit into an error to score one, before Gates was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.

Diaz walked to score another, as Powell led 2-1 after the first.

“That second game I felt like we came out and had better approaches at the plate,” Borders said. “We didn’t come up and just hack at it. That was the difference in our two games was our approach at the plate.”

The Pioneers reloaded the bases in the bottom of the second with one out, as Nuss singled, while Loera and Ostermiller walked.

Bieber walked to score one, before Diaz singled to score a pair and make it 5-1.

Fauskee walked and reloaded the bases, before Rowan Diaz was hit by a pitch to score one and make it 6-1.

Teten walked to score another, as Powell led 7-1 after two innings.

The Pioneers loaded the bases with two outs in the third through a Bieber single and walks to Gates and Caden, but Powell couldn’t add to its advantage.

Powell finally stretched the lead far enough in the fourth, as Rowan was hit by a pitch, and Teten singled to get two on with no outs.

Loera singled to score both and give the Pioneers a 9-1 lead.

Lovell went three up three down in the fifth, and due to new conference run rules, the Pioneers ended with a win, leading by eight to earn the 9-1 victory.

Five Pioneers each recorded one of the five hits on the day, as Caden led with three RBIs and Loera added two as the only two with multiple RBIs of the five Pioneers to record one in the contest.

Powell took advantage of 10 walks in the contest, as Gates got the win on the mound going three innings giving up four hits, one earned run and two strikeouts.

“We took our walks when we got them, and got our hits when we needed them,” Borders said.

Nuss came on in relief to record two strikeouts and no hits as neither Powell pitcher gave up a walk.

LEWISTOWN TOURNAMENT

The Pioneers head back to Montana this weekend for the 39th Annual Harold Gjerde Memorial Tournament in Lewistown from Thursday through Sunday.

Powell starts with a game at 1 p.m. today (Thursday) against Havre (11-9-1) in a game that does not count in pool play for the Pioneers.

Powell then takes on Glasgow (4-10) at 8 a.m. on Friday before taking on the host Lewistown Redbirds (8-14) at 6 p.m.

The Pioneers wrap up pool play at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday against Gallatin Valley (20-14) before playing a final game on Sunday which will be determined by pool play results.

“In Lewistown, we want to string some games together and feel good about ourselves in the end … Play better baseball than we have been,” Borders said.