Majors all-stars fall short of state tournament

The Big Horn County Little League Majors all-star team experienced highs and lows throughout the district tournament last week in Greybull, finishing with a 3-2 record and falling one game short of clinching a spot at the state tournament.

To begin pool play, the Mustangs were paired up first with the 12U Cody Cubs on Tuesday, July 8, and fell 15-0.

They bounced back on Thursday and defeated Greybull 19-15 to round out the pool play portion of the tournament.

After jumping ahead and scoring seven runs in the top of the first inning, the Mustangs thought they would cruise to an easy victory, but Greybull kept it close by scoring six of their own in the bottom of the frame.

The teams were locked at 13-13 heading into the final inning of play. The Mustangs built a six-run cushion and held Greybull to only two runs in the bottom of the inning to seal the win.

Jace Jameson and Brhysan Henton led the Mustangs with three hits each, while Hayden Harshman and Adam Hill had two apiece.

Spencer Walker, James Henderson, Gage Angell, Kayan Owens, Cayden Dickerson and Braxton Layne added one hit each to help the Mustangs offense that combined for 16 hits.

Six players pitched in the contest to insure availability in future games. The hurlers tallied nine strikeouts, seven walks, 15 runs (14 earned) and 15 hits.

“After pool play was completed, we felt we could get the boys back to playing to their potential,” head coach Tyler Angell said. “We weren’t playing our best, but we felt we could make enough adjustments to get us rolling again.”

Based on their performance in pool play, the Mustangs landed in the ninth seeded spot on the 11-team, single-elimination bracket to play Greybull once again Friday.

Despite getting out hit by the Bandits, the Mustangs rallied back in another tight game to pull off a 10-8 win.

“We knew Greybull had pitched their best pitcher to the max the game before, so we felt confident going into this game,” Angell reported. “We weren’t overlooking them, but Greybull didn’t go down without a fight. They gave us a battle, and we were happy we came out on top.”

Owens had three hits at the plate, while Jameson and Dickerson had a pair each for Lovell. Camden Blain, Harshman, Henton, Walker, Henderson, Angell and Hill each connected for hits, too.

The trio of Henderson, Angell and Jameson shared the responsibilities on the mound over the six innings, combining for three strikeouts, two walks, eight runs (six earned) and 15 Greybull hits.

The win advanced the Mustangs to the quarter-final game against the Cody Cubs on Saturday, who had run-ruled Lovell during pool play and completely silenced their bats with a no-hitter.

“We weren’t really sure how our team would react and respond to our previous game against Cody,” Angell said. “I heard the boys say the word ‘cooked’ too many times that morning, so I knew it was time to wake them up and realize they could play with any team.”

Coach Angell said that the talk around the field for weeks had been that this Cody squad would be bound for San Bernardino to compete in the Little League World Series. He decided to give his team a little tough love and an aggressive pep talk to motivate his players into believing they could win.

Both teams scored one run in the first inning before Cody took a 2-1 lead in the second inning. Lovell answered back with a run to tie it up in the third and another in the fourth to gain a 3-2 advantage.

In the top of the sixth, the Mustangs added an insurance run to make it 4-2 and got the final three Cody outs to avenge the earlier loss to the Cubs.

“To win this game felt unbelievable to our kids,” Angell said. “It was by far the most exciting baseball game I have ever been a part of. The excitement on their faces is something I will never forget.”

Lovell got two hits from Jamen Crosby, Harshman, Jameson, Walker and Henderson at the plate and one from Blain, Henton, Angell, Dickerson and Layne in the win.

One key factor in the win was the stellar performance by Henton on the mound. The righty went the distance and pitched all six innings, allowing only four hits, two runs and four walks while striking out seven quality Cody hitters. 

After celebrating the win, the Mustangs had to play Lander in the semi-finals on Sunday morning. The bats had cooled off for Lovell, and they were only able to score one run in the game to fall 10-1 and be eliminated from the tournament.

“We fell back into the groove we had been in the first three games, and we couldn’t find our way out of it,” Angell said. 

Layne went 2-2 for the Mustangs and had the only RBI. Jameson, Henderson, Owens, Dickerson and Hill had the only other hits against the Lander ace.

Harshman and Blain gave up five runs apiece on the mound, allowing 16 Lander hits and striking out four batters.

“We wish we could be playing in the state tournament here in our hometown alongside our Minors team,” Angell said. “We hope the community comes out to support that team. They have been working hard and are playing very well. They’ve got a shot.”