Tigers take two from Laramie

Andrew Towne
Posted 7/3/19

TORRINGTON – It took the Torrington junior Legion baseball team two comebacks to finish off and complete the sweep against the Laramie Marshals on Wednesday, June 26 at Jirdon Park.

After breezing through game one 16-1 in only five innings, game two was a much different story for the younger Tiger squad in a 17-14 victory.

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Tigers take two from Laramie

Posted

TORRINGTON – It took the Torrington junior Legion baseball team two comebacks to finish off and complete the sweep against the Laramie Marshals on Wednesday, June 26 at Jirdon Park.

After breezing through game one 16-1 in only five innings, game two was a much different story for the younger Tiger squad in a 17-14 victory.

Torrington surrendered seven runs with two outs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning, but coach Ben Desmond knew one thing as Laramie jumped out to an 8-0 lead.

“We have them right where we wanted them,” he said.

The Tigers countered with nine runs in the home half of the first to take a 9-8 lead in an inning which took just under an hour to play.

Leadoff hitter Austin Short got the rally started with a single, but he ended up on third with a throwing error. Ben Firminhac and Bryce Hager added singles to drive in the Tigers first runs of the game.

“They buckled down and swung the bats. We didn’t go for walks. We actually swung the bats,” Desmond said. “True, stuff fell in, but not falling in the infield. They were falling in in the outfield and in the gaps.”

Ayden Desmond, during his second at-bat of the inning, singled, evening the score at eight apiece, but in the next at-bat Hager was hit with a pitch and a throwing error led to the Tigers taking 9-8 lead.

The teams used two pitches each in the first inning.

The score remained the same until the Laramie plated six in the top of the third inning.

Short singled in the fourth to drive in Torrington’s only run of the frame to draw them back with 14-10.

After the Tiger defense stranded Laramie runners at first and second in the top of the fifth.

But it was the bottom of the fifth when Torrington stormed back to regain the lead and secure the sweep.

Firminhac led off the inning with a double to center, but an intentional walk loaded the bases and Desmond made them pay for the decision with a single, driving in two runs. That gave the Tigers a 15-14 lead. Firminhac and Keyan Sargent added RBI singles to close out the game.

“It’s a fun summer right now. Those kids are excited right now. They really got into it,” Desmond said. “They played awful hard tonight.”

Busy stretch

The night before the sweep of Laramie, the Tigers traveled to Scottsbluff, Neb. where they knocked off WestCo, 11-5.

Torrington grabbed an 8-4 advantage after two innings.

The Tigers got hits from Nolan Long, Matthew Hellus, Hager and Desmond. Those four hits produced six runs and where the only hits of the game for the Tigers.

Kirk Kay surrendered only three hits on 75 pitches for the win, while Long and Desmond closed out the game, allowing no hits.

The Tigers will travel to Laramie on Wednesday, July 3 before hosting Casper on Tuesday, July 9. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for a 5 p.m. first pitch.