Rangers thump Loveland

Richard Anderson photos
Rangers shortstop Skyler Joy slides into third base safely Friday night against Loveland, Colo., in the annual Firecracker Invitational at Cowboy Field. At left, Coley Wilson shows the form that earned him the 13-0 shutout victory.

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

One day made all the difference in the world for the Laramie Rangers Friday, as they shut out the Loveland (Colo.) Indians 13-0 in American Legion baseball action at Cowboy Field.

The game ended after the fourth inning due to lightning.

Laramie, 18-9, is now 1-1 in the Firecracker Invitational and can play its way into the tournament championship with a win over the 2-0 Colorado Bandits on Saturday.

The Rangers were coming off of their uninspiring defeat to the WESTCO (Scottsbluff, Neb.) Zephyrs on Thursday, but they turned things around with a near perfect game against Loveland.

“Last night we had a team meeting,” Rangers second baseman Rylan Harding said. “We just flushed everything and figured out all the problems, and then we came out and just really forgot about that loss (to WESTCO) and came out with our sticks just fired up and ready to play.”

Rangers manager Sean McKinney said his team came out aggressive on Friday, something they didn't do on Thursday.

“There were some guys today early on that went over some hitting stuff and they just responded well," McKinney said. "It has nothing to do with me, they just responded well.”

The Rangers dominated offensively and defensively from the start, as they retired the first three batters for the Indians and then scored five runs in the bottom of the inning with two big hits off of Loveland starting pitcher D.J. Arebalo for a 5-0 lead. Harding got things going with a RBI double, followed by a two-run single by right fielder Tyler Mitchell.

Ryan Baca took over pitching duties for the Indians in the second inning, but he didn't fare much better, as the Rangers continued to dominate.

Laramie refused to let up, as it rallied behind pitcher Coleton Wilson to quickly get out of each inning. Wilson got the win in the four-inning, 39-pitch shutout, allowing just two hits.

“Coley pitched a great game and that’s what happens when good pitching beats good hitting,” McKinney said.

The Rangers would put the game out of reach in the second inning, as Harding hit his second RBI double of the day that sent catcher Jon Sorenson home.

Harding was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI, while Sorenson, Jordan Rhodine and Nolan Carter all had two hits. Carter had a three-run double to highlight a six-run fourth inning. Laramie finished with 11 hits in the game.

The Rangers will celebrate Independence Day when they take on the Colorado Bandits at Cowboy Field Saturday, beginning at 4:30 p.m.

“We really want to win the Firecracker Tournament,” Harding said. “It’s been a long time since a Laramie home team won the Firecracker Tournament. We’re working hard and we need a few things to go right here and there and hopefully we can get to that championship game.”