American Legion: Trappers off to strong start at own tourney | School Sports

So far, so good for the Blacksmith Fork Trappers in their quest to win their own American Legion tournament.

Mountain Crest’s summer baseball program won all three of its Pool A games in convincing fashion at the three-day Western Invitational, which will conclude Saturday afternoon in Hyrum. The Trappers will square off against the Burley (Idaho) Green Sox, the second-place team from Pool B, on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. for a spot in the 2 p.m. championship game.

Blacksmith Fork took care of the Laramie (Wyoming) Rangers by a 15-0 Thursday scoreline in four innings in the tourney opener for both teams. The Trappers then dispatched of both of their Friday opponents, starting with a 9-3 triumph over the Glendive (Montana) Blue Devils in six innings, followed by a 10-0 sixth-inning win over the CDA (Idaho) Lumbermen.

The Lumbermen defeated Laramie and Glendive in their other two Pool A games, thus will face the Pool B champion Rigby (Idaho) Mustangs in Saturday’s second semifinal game at approximately 11:30 a.m. Rigby lost to the (Green Canyon) Huskers, but prevailed in their other two pool play contests to secure the No. 1 seed on their side of the bracket.

The Huskers lost their other two games in pool play and will square off against Laramie in a Saturday consolation game at 9 o’clock. All of the games in the eight-team tournament are being contested at Mountain Crest or the field of the Northern Utah League program Hyrum Hornets.

Laramie was no match for Blacksmith Fork, which went off for 10 runs in the bottom of the second to take control. The Trappers then put a five-spot on the scoreboard one inning later. Eight different Trappers scored at least one run in their tournament opener, while seven of their players drove in at least one run.

Maddon Palmer led the charge at the plate as he singled twice, drove in three runs and scored another for the Trappers, who got one run, one hit and two RBIs from Boston Hamson, two runs, one hit, two runs batted in and a pair of walks from Dawson Simper, a pair of hits and RBIs from James Hornsby, three runs and two hits from Kyson Dattage, three runs, two hits, one RBI and one walk from Graham Passey and one run, one base knock, three RBIs and one walk from Kellen Smith.

Blacksmith Fork used three different pitchers against Laramie in Ethan Christensen, Nixen Woodward and Dalton Pehrson, who held the visitors scoreless on three hits and two walks. The trio teamed up for eight strikeouts.

The Trappers scored in all five of their offensive innings against Glendive, who manufactured one run in three different frames. Smith, Pehrson, Simper and Hornsby all doubled for Blacksmith Fork, while Simper chipped in with a pair of runs, hits and RBIs and Hamson with three runs, one hit and two free passes.

Jack Nielsen pitched all six innings for the Trappers, fanned four, scattered six hits, walked two and gave up two earned runs.

Blacksmith Fork was nursing a 2-0 lead through five innings against the CDA Lumbermen, but slammed the door with eight runs in the home half of the sixth. The Trappers finished with 15 hits in their pool play finale.

Simper accounted for two runs, three hits and one walk for the Trappers, while Pehrson chipped in with one run, one hit and two RBIs, Hornsby with two runs, three hits and one run batted in, Passey with two hits and three RBIs, Eli Willis with one run and two hits and Smith with one run, two hits and one RBI. Simper tripled, while Passey, Woodward and Willis all doubled.

George Stowers was on the mound for the first five innings of the shutout, scattered seven hits and three free passes, and struck out four. Simper pitched the final frame for the Trappers, who improved to 14-4 on the season.

Meanwhile, the (Green Canyon) Huskers got off to a slow start as they lost to the Burley Green Sox, 17-2 in their tourney opener. The Huskers were then edged by the Jackson (Wyoming) Giants, 2-1, followed by a nice 13-7 triumph over Rigby.

The Huskers and Green Sox were knotted at 2-2 through five innings. Burley pulled away, though, with six runs in the sixth, followed by nine in the seventh. Gage Atkinson doubled and was hit by a pitch for the Huskers, while Dakota Calverley singled twice and drove in a run.

All three of the runs in the game between the Huskers and Giants were plated in the seventh and final inning. Atkinson’s second double of the contest — this one with two outs in the bottom of the seventh — allowed the Huskers to score their lone run. Easton Jorgensen also doubled for Green Canyon’s American Legion program.

The Huskers only finished with five hits in each of their first two games, but produced 11 in five innings in their win over Rigby. The Huskers pushed across at least three runs in three of their five frames at the plate.

Gehrig Hansen was a menace for the Huskers as he doubled, singled twice, drove in four runs, scored twice and walked once, while Peyton Esplin contributed with a pair of runs, hits and RBIs, Gavin Spackman with one run, one hit, three RBIs and one walk and Tristan Eborn with one run, one hit, one run batted in and two walks. Esplin, like Hansen, doubled for the Huskers (4-7).