Majors stars play to 2-2 record in All Stars and Stripes tourney

The Lovell Majors All-Star Team battled to a 2-2 record as they hosted the All Stars and Stripes Tournament at the Northeast Little League fields Friday and Saturday.

Friday, the Mustangs edged Powell 5-3, then fell to a strong Cody club 12-0. In bracket play Saturday, Lovell beat Lander 8-5 to set up a rematch with Cody for the title, and this time the game was much closer, with Cody prevailing 1-0.

“It was great to see the improvement over the weekend, especially from the first game against Cody to the second game,” coach Nicc Crosby said. “Our pitching and defense was solid, and even though we didn’t score any runs (in the title game), we had better at-bats against Cody’s ace. They’ve been playing travel ball since February.”

In the first-round robin game Friday, the Mustangs broke a 3-3 tie with two runs in the top of the fifth inning, then blanked the Powell stars in the bottom of the frame to win the game. Lane Bischoff led the home team with two hits including a double, while Cayden Dickerson had two runs batted in, James Henderson and Bischoff one each.

Jace Jameson, Logan Timpany, Henderson, Jace Crosby and Kooper May shared pitching duties.

Things didn’t go well for the Mustangs in game two Friday as the Lovell squad was clobbered by Cody. Cody scored four runs in the first inning, five in the second and three in the third while limiting Lovell to two hits. Cody scored the dozen runs on just four hits as Lovell pitchers walked nine batters.

Henderson and Spencer Walker had the two Lovell hits, and Jace Grant, Hudson Morgan, Walker and Hayden Harshman shared mound duties.

Saturday games

Putting the Cody loss behind them, the Mustangs beat Lander 8-5 Saturday. The Mustangs took a 6-2 lead with three runs in the third and two in the fourth, then held off a late Lander rally.

Lovell banged out 14 hits led by leadoff hitter Henderson, who set the table with three hits. Harshman and Jameson had two hits each. Harshman and May each had a double, and Jameson ripped a triple. Harshman had two RBIs.

Harshman picked up the win on the mound, allowing three runs in 4 2/3 innings of work on four hits and three walks while striking out five. May finished up, allowing two runs in an inning and a third on two hits and a walk, fanning three.

The championship game went into extra innings as the Cody stars broke a 0-0 tie with one run in the bottom of the seventh. Harshman had both of Lovell’s hits, and Jameson was strong on the mound, allowing just the single run in six-plus innings of work on seven hits and one walk, fanning eight. Crosby finished up, allowing one hit and a walk.

Next up is the district tournament. The district tournament for the Majors is July 8-12 in Pinedale. Big Horn (Lovell) will meet Tri Basin (Big Piney) July 8 at 6 p.m. and Afton July 9 at 6 p.m. in pool play. Teams will then be seeded into a bracket on Friday through Sunday, July 10-12. Also in the tournament are Rock Springs, Riverton, Powell, Cody, Lander, Bridger Valley, Pinedale and Green River. Two teams will advance to the state tournament.