ROCK SPRINGS — After an April month full of tough losses, the Rock Springs Stallions found themselves on a bit of a winning streak. Their success carried into a full weekend of baseball in the Southwest Series Tournament, where they picked up three more victories.
On Friday and Saturday, the Stallions beat the Jackson Giants 8-6, the Laramie AA Rangers 7-6, and the Riverton Raiders 9-2. The tournament finale featured a hard-fought 14-11 finish against the Evanston Outlaws, but the Stallions were on the wrong end of it.
Rock Springs, the tournament host, took on the Giants to open competition. Despite the win and the relatively high score, the Rock Springs offense was abysmal. The lineup produced just three hits in the entire game and only by the grace of seven walks and two errors were they able to turn them into eight runs. Still, the Stallions wore down four different Jackson pitchers with their patience at the plate. Steve Harmon was one of, if not the only, offensive highlights for the home team. He went 2-for-2 with two RBI, making him the only Stallion with an RBI in the game.
The Rock Springs defense was a bit prettier to look at than their hitting was. They committed one error that ultimately caused no harm, and they were able to rely on one pitcher the whole time. Ryan Zotti went all five innings and gave up 10 hits and six runs, but allowed just two walks while striking out five batters and securing the win.
Struggles for the Stallions seemed to flip flop in their matchup against the AA Rangers. This time the batting order posted nine hits, plenty to get the job done. They set themselves back on the pitching side, where they gave up 11 walks, and only three of Laramie’s 7 runs were brought in by actual hitters.
Billy Peterson, Landon Oliver and Prestyn Harvey each contributed two RBI, with Peterson and Oliver’s coming off extra-base hits. Acting as starting pitcher, Griffen Garner threw over 100 pitches in 4.1 innings, proving the lack of efficiency by the pitching staff in the contest. He still came out with the win after giving up four hits, five runs and six walks, but also sat the Rangers down on strikes on six occasions. Harmon finished the last 2.2 innings on the mound, allowing the final run but not without earning five strikeouts.
The 9-2 win over Riverton really was the Stallions’ most well-rounded performance of the weekend. They scored three runs in the first inning, followed by four more in the third to give Rock Springs a wide 7-0 advantage. They scored twice more, but the Raiders were able to answer the last two runs and avoid a shutout.
Oliver and Harvey each had two RBI again, this time with Oliver’s hit turning into a triple. Zotti joined the RBI leaders with two of his own, even though he only reached base on two walks and two pitches that hit him. Damian Valerio pitched an absolute gem in his complete-game win. The Rangers only put one hit past him, but it came in the form of a deep home run by Beau Anderson in the fourth inning, taking away Valerio’s no-hitter and shutout bid with one swing of the bat. He stayed focused, though, and his strikeouts outnumbered his walks 9-4, showing a much cleaner performance than the pitching in the previous game.
To close out the tournament, the Stallions challenged the Evanston Outlaws for the second time this season. Two weeks ago, the Stallions beat them 8-7. The Sunday night game was an offensive clinic for both sides, with the hit totals matching the 14-11 score.
The teams traded runs in the first inning, but the Outlaws pulled ahead in the third. They put up four runs in the frame after a series of base hits moved them all the way through the lineup. The Evanston pitching shut down the Stallions for a bit and kept them scoreless between the second and fourth innings. The visitors scored another two in the fifth before Rock Springs started to answer back.
The Stallions hit around in the bottom frame, adding four runs off RBI hits by Oliver and Austin Maxfield. All their work was erased when the Outlaws scored four more runs of their own. Rock Springs continued to fight, but Evanston matched every blow. Where the Stallions scored six in the final two innings, the Outlaws scored seven to ensure they stayed on top.
Zotti and Oliver each had three hits for Rock Springs, while Oliver led the team with three RBI. Garner also had a multi-hit game that included a double, while Harvey was the only other Stallion with more than one RBI. Oliver and Maddox ice tag-teamed on the mound, Oliver going the first five and Maddox entering in relief. Between the two of them, they struck out nine Outlaws and issued just one walk.
Rock Springs was also scheduled to host the Green River Knights on Monday evening, but the game was after press time.
