WHEATLAND – Jumping out to a commanding lead with four runs in the first inning, the 19U Lobos held on and defeated the AA Laramie Rangers in a 9-inning game May 26 at Lewis field.

With a shaky start on the bump for Laramie, the Lobos capitalized with quick and alert base running and jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Lobos bats went pretty much silent until the bottom of the eighth inning when they added two insurance runs.

Laramie who was determined to chip away at the lead had cut it in half in the fifth inning. Defense and stellar pitching from both starter Langdon Goodrich and reliever Mytch Pollock held the Rangers in check. Goodrich who went four innings, won the decision and had four strikeouts. Pollock who earned the save pitched five innings and also had four strikeouts.

Ryland Petroski led the Lobos with 2 hits and both Ned Hageman and Petroski were responsible for an RBI a piece. The Lobos picked up four unearned runs due to errors on the Laramie side. Four Lobo players were awarded bases on walks and three others were hit by pitches.

“I felt like we pitched well and were sound defensively,” said Lobos head coach Mick Cochran. “Langdon and Mytchell both settled in and were in control. We played clean baseball never really put ourselves in bad spots. Laramie is a really good team, one that will be very competitive in AA. We feel good about beating a team of that quality. This weekend will be more great competition as we will see the Cheyenne Hawks and Westco in round robin DH format.”

The Lobos ended up with 6 runs, 4 hits and 4 errors while the Rangers totaled 2 runs, 8 hits and 2 errors.

Last Saturday the Lobos opened play in the Westco Tourney in Scottsbluff against Cheyenne Post Six and saw an explosion of Lobo bats as they defeated the Hawks 12-9 in a game that combined for 21 runs and 26 hits.

Although Cheyenne jumped on starting pitcher JP Anderson early, the pitching was solid and by the fifth inning Wheatland had jumped out to an 8-3 lead. The fifth inning was the power inning for the Hawks as they gathered four runs in the bottom of the frame to bring the game close.

By the end of seven, Cheyenne who would not go away came back to tie the score at 9 apiece. It took a 3-run eighth inning for the Lobos to put the game away. Hageman ended up with the hot bat as he went 4-5 on the day and also went to the mound to turn the lights out on the Hawks to secure the win.

Kade Preuit gathered 4 RBIs for the Lobos, while Cross Hernandez got three and Noah Whitfield sent two Lobos across the plate.

Winning pitcher Kade Preuit who came on in relief gave up three runs, three two hits and had three strikeouts. Ned Hageman was credited with the save.

The Lobos faced the Hawks again Sunday, but the results were not in their favor as they dropped the decision 4-3.

Cheyenne jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and the Lobos bats just couldn’t get in sync and could only come within a run of the Hawks.

Pollock, Preuit and Petroski all accounted for two hits apiece in three trips to the plate, but stranding runners on base was the forte for the Lobos on this cool and drizzly Sunday afternoon.

Goodrich took the loss for the Lobos giving up four runs and nine hits. He gathered 3 strikeouts in his outing. Petroski came on in relief and pitched three solid innings and collected 6 strikeouts in his effort.

In the late game on Sunday afternoon the Lobos took on the Westco Zephyrs and although it was a hard-fought game, Wheatland bowed out 5-3. With stellar pitching by both sides, the Zephyr’s pitcher not only went the distance, but held the Lobos to only 3 runs and 3 hits and piled up 4 strikeouts.

On the Wheatland side, six of seven innings were scoreless, and the bases looked like an old west ghost town. The sixth inning was the exception as the Lobos managed all three runs and three hits in that inning. Anderson, Pollock and Hageman all managed hits, but all the Lobos runs were unearned, and the RBI column was nonexistent.

On a day that the Lobos were their normal selves at the plate, Pollock may have gotten the win as he pitched a good game, going 6 innings, allowing 5 runs and was throwing a good mixture of heat and off-speed stuff and picking up 6 strikeouts. He unfortunately came away with the loss.

Wheatland plays tonight in Laramie at 5 p.m. and will travel to Spearfish, South Dakota, for the Spearfish Tourney June 3-6.