WHEATLAND – The Torrington Tigers’ rally in Wheatland was halted two runs short in the championship game Sunday against Jackson, placing the Tigers second at the state tournament.
“We really peaked at the same time and came together as a team,” manager Andy Brown said. “We were more of a baseball family than a team. I am 100 percent proud of these young men.”
Torrington came out slow against Jackson’s ace pitcher in the winner-takes-all game Sunday, falling behind 5-0 after four innings. In the fifth, Torrington plated three runs to bring the score to 5-3, before the Giants added three more runs.
In the top of the sixth, Torrington scored two to trim the Jackson lead to 8-5. The Giants scored two in the bottom of the frame, putting the Tigers to the plate in the top of the seventh needing to score five or more runs to keep the game alive. Torrington scored three runs, but were unable to keep the rally alive, falling 10-8.
“If we had one more inning, I think we could have won that game,” Brown said. “When momentum is on your side in baseball, it’s huge.”
Gabe Mitchell and Jackson Jones both scored twice in the second contest, while Caeden Riley, Cameron Murphy, Teddy Carr and Nick Sherbeyn all scored. Murphy paced the Tigers in hits, with three, while Mitchell, Jones and Sherbeyn each added two. Jones and Sebastian Doucette also had two RBIs apiece.
To force a winner-takes-all game Sunday, the Tigers picked up a win over Jackson Saturday. If the Giants beat Torrington Saturday, they would have been crowned champions without the need for a game Sunday.
After scoring a run in the first inning, Torrington added seven runs in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead. After two frames, Jackson issued a protest against three Tigers (Sam Firminhac, Daniel Wayland and Tristan Kingsley) players that they were over the age limit. Torrington was forced to pull the three players and continue action.
“They kept their composure and rooted on their team and handled it perfectly,” Brown said of the three players that were sidelined. “I can’t say enough about how well they handled it.”
The momentum swung in the direction of Jackson, as they scored five runs in both the third and fourth innings to take a 10-8 lead. Torrington added two runs in the fourth to knot the game up at 10. The Giants scored three runs in the fifth inning in an effort to put the game out of reach and win the title.

The sixth inning proved to be the difference, with Torrington scoring nine runs to gain a 19-13 advantage. Wayland and Firminhac were deemed able to return to action after sitting for several innings, although Firminhac was kept out of the championship game Sunday. The Giants scored two runs in the seventh inning but Torrington shut down their rally to win 19-15.
“That nine-run sixth inning shows what type of team we are,” Brown said. “That game was a metaphor for our whole season.”
Teddy Carr was the star of the game Saturday afternoon, hitting for the cycle. He homered in the first, hit a triple in the second, was hit by a pitch in the fourth, hit a single in the sixth and hit a double in the seventh. He scored five runs of his own and racked up seven RBIs. Murphy, Firminhac, Mitchell and Riley all scored two runs in the win.
Torrington opened up action in the tournament against Cody, winning 6-3. Murphy, Firminhac, Mitchell and Sherbeyn all came around to score in the second inning. In the sixth, Torrington added two more runs, with Mitchell scoring a second run and Correa crossing the plate.
“(Cody) was a great ball club,” Brown said. “We had to (pitch Cameron) Murphy the whole way to get the win. They were just a good, well rounded team.”
Wayland paced the Tigers in hits, with two singles. He also had two RBIs in the contest off of one single in the second inning. Sherbeyn and Mitchell each had an RBI, while Firminhac had the only extra base hit, with a double in the fifth inning.
The bats really came alive in the second game of the tournament for the Tigers, dropping Wheatland 12-5. Torrington racked up 11 hits in the win. This was the fourth time Torrington played Wheatland this summer.
“I told the guys to forget about the previous games,” Brown said. “This is their home field and the state tournament so we need to play our best game.”
Murphy, Firminhac, Carr and Wayland all scored in the first inning. After being shut out in the second, Torrington had Carr, Wayland and Jones come around to score, upping their total to seven runs after the third. Firminhac scored in the fourth, while Murphy and Correa both scored in the sixth. To cap off the game, Dylan Dreiling and Mitchell both scored.
Mitchell had a big game at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles. He racked up five RBIs in the win, while scoring a run of his own. Firminhac and Carr joined Mitchell with multiple hits, with two apiece, while Firminhac and Doucette each accounted for two RBIs.
Despite playing the host team in Wheatland, Brown said he didn’t feel like that was a factor in the game.
“We had great fans all weekend. We had families and friends there and even fans who had no ties to the team come from Torrington to support the Tigers,” he said. “I feel like we had home-field advantage the whole tournament.”
Torrington’s first loss of the tournament came against Jackson. The game started Friday night, but concluded Saturday morning. The Giants were leading 2-1 at the top of the second, but Torrington battled to pick up a 4-3 lead after two innings, when a rain delay was called. Jackson built an 8-4 lead before the game was called for the night. Jackson picked up Saturday morning where they left off Friday night, picking up the win 14-6.
Kingsley (three) and Carr (two) were the only two with multiple hits, while Murphy recorded two runs to pace Torrington. Firminhac had two RBIs, while Murphy, Carr, Wayland and Gage Correa each added one.
“(The weather) just hurts a teams momentum if you got it,” Brown said. “It’s just a momentum changer, that’s all that is.”
Following their first loss, Torrington squared off against Cody for the second time in the tournament, with the same outcome. The Tigers burst out for a 7-4. Cody rebounded to score a run, before Torrington expanded their lead to 10-5 in the top of the seventh. Cody attempted a comeback, scoring four runs in the seventh, but it was not enough, with Torrington getting the 10-8 win.
Wayland had a big game at the plate, scoring three runs on two hits, paired with four RBIs. Firminhac and Kingsley both scored twice in the narrow win.
The Tigers finished the season at 23-14. Their record in their last 15 games was 12-3. This was the second year in a row that Torrington finished as runner-up at the state tournament.
“I’m 100 percent proud of the guys,” Brown said. “I’m very happy with this season. I still think we are the best team in Wyoming, regardless of how the weekend ended.”