Minors all-stars sweep to district championship

The Big Horn County Little League Minors all-star team swept the competition at the district tournament in Greybull last week to claim the championship title and clinch the top spot heading into the state tournament to be held in Lovell on July 23-26.

Out of the eight teams in the tournament, the Mustangs dominated their opponents throughout pool play and bracket play and won every game by a minimum of 10 runs.

In pool play, the Mustangs took care of both Riverton and Powell with scores of 18-1 and 14-4 to give them the highest-seeded position going into the single-elimination bracket on Friday and Saturday.

In the first round Friday, Lovell again faced the Riverton All-Stars, and after only three innings of play, the Mustangs sealed the win with a commanding 35-8 victory. As a team, the Mustangs connected for 32 hits in the game.

“Going into the tournament, we wanted to focus on hitting the ball, minimizing fielding errors and trusting one another to make plays,” head coach Stephen Anderson said. “Every single player hit the ball well, and as a team, we are batting well over .500, which is remarkable for any age group, but is even more impressive in 10U.”

The win advanced the Mustangs to a semifinal match against Bridger Valley Saturday. Lovell plated four runs in the first inning to take the lead and never looked back to win 11-1 via the mercy rule after five innings of play.

Logan Timpany and Gus Guccion led the Mustangs at the plate with two hits each, while Kooper May, Kali Jameson, Asher Leonhardt, Hudson Morgan and Austin Grandalen had one apiece.

May was also phenomenal on the mound for Lovell as the lefty went the distance, striking out six Bridger Valley batters, allowing only two hits and one run (none earned) and only three walks.

“Kooper was delivering missiles the entire game,” Anderson said of his ace.

After defeating Bridger Valley and earning one of the two positions to advance to the state tournament, it left the Mustangs to face rivals from Cody in the championship game Saturday.

At the Buffalo Bill All-Star Showdown tournament in Cody on June 27-28, the Cubs tied with the Mustangs in pool play and handed them their only loss of the post-season, with a score of 9-8 in the final game when Lovell’s experienced pitchers had maxed out.

The Mustangs were out for revenge Saturday and were determined to prove they were the better team, and this time the scoreboard reflected it with a final score of 19-2 over the Cubs at the completion of four innings of play.

Lovell’s bats were on fire as they managed 22 hits as a team, five walks and only seven strikeouts at the plate.

Esson Anderson, Lincoln Miller, May, Guccion and Leonhardt each had impressive three-hit games for the Mustangs, while Jace Grant added two hits. Grayson Walker, Thayne Walker, Timpany, Jameson and Grandalen also added a hit each.

Anderson got the nod on the mound for the Mustangs in the championship and was backed by solid defense. The right-handed hurler pitched all four innings and struck out six Cubs, giving up two runs on only six hits.

“We planned on having Esson (Anderson) start and Logan (Timpany) close it out for us in this game,” Coach Anderson said. “But Esson was able to put Cody to bed without needing a bedtime story.”

Anderson also credited Guccion as the team’s anchor at catcher for his work behind the plate and the team’s squad full of skilled players in the field that can play multiple positions. He added that a majority of kids on the team can pitch, and that is a key advantage over other teams at this stage of the season.

“The tournament was full of fantastic ballplayers and quality coaches,” Coach Anderson said. “Our team came together and attacked each game with confidence, and it was amazing to watch them bring it to every game. They meshed well together, and each kid stepped up in amazing ways.”

The Minors all-star team is set to play at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23, at the Northeast Little League Baseball Complex in Lovell. Their opponent will be determined after the completion of the East’s district tournament happening this weekend. As the number one seed in the West, they will take on the second seed from the East.

“We really appreciated the support of our parents, community and Majors team throughout the tournament,” Anderson added. “We hope to have the same encouragement on our home field at State.”