ROCK SPRINGS – The Torrington Legion ‘C’ team wrapped up its season on Saturday at the state tournament with a pair of losses.
The Tigers, one of the youngest teams in the tournament, fell to Lovell and Douglas.
“It wasn’t what we were expecting or hoping for. We thought we were a little more prepared than what we showed on the field,” coach Morgan Desmond said. “Defensively, we played pretty decent games, and our pitching wasn’t too bad. Our bats, obviously, didn’t make the trip with us.”
The Tigers combined for six total runs in the two games.
“When you score four and two runs at this level of ball, you are putting yourself in trouble,” Desmond said. “I’m proud of the boys. They fought the entire way in both games. They never gave up, but we just need the ball to find a whole more often than what it did. We showed some heart.”
In the opening round, the Tigers fell to Lovell, 8-4.
“Brady Cook threw very well,” Desmond said. “He kept us in the game. He kept them down to three runs while he was in.”
Torrington led 4-3 going into the sixth inning when Lovell started to find its stroke.
“They must have like what they saw because, the guys we brought in after Brady, they hit the ball around a little bit,” Desmond said.
Lovell scored five runs in the sixth to take the lead, and the Tigers offense couldn’t answer.
By the end of the week, Lovell went on to come one game shy of reaching the Class ‘C’ State Tournament’s championship game.
In the second game, the Torrington was hitting the ball hard, but it proved to be right at the Douglas defense in the 7-2 loss.
“We hit the ball well,” Desmond said. Case in point, Ayden’s (Desmond) two-line outs to two different outfielders on very hard-hit balls. They were just in the right place at the right time. Three feet either side and Ayden would have had the ball in a gap, and he’d been running for extra bases. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
Despite the short stay at state, Desmond was pleased with the how the team preformed in Rock Springs.
“All-in-all, we didn’t play bad,” he said. “We did have a couple errors and our pitching did break down at some points. The other teams capitalized on our mistakes and turn them into runs. That’s what ultimately knocked us out of it.”
Following the conclusion of the state tournament, the Torrington team was recognized with the state’s Sportsmanship Award.
“That’s a sign that we are doing things the right way and with class,” Desmond said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the boys’ attitude and worth ethic this year.”
