ROCK SPRINGS – The Torrington Twisters 16-and-under softball team went 4-3 over the weekend in Rock Springs at the Wyoming State Tournament, finishing with bronze medals.
The action in Rock Springs was the first competitive action for the 16-and-under Twisters this summer. For the state tournament, they fielded a team of 10, with one player suffering an injury at the tournament, forcing the roster down to nine.
“We struggled to get a team together but we said if we can get a team together for the first weekend in July, we will do it and we did,” coach Lonna Schmick said. “I’d say it turned out well.”
The Twisters opened the weekend with a loss to Cheyenne Extreme – Harris, 7-4. They rebounded to close out pool play with a 13-3 win over the Casper Voltage.
“We really came alive hitting and Micheala (Moorehouse) just pitched an amazing game.” Schmick said.
Their 1-1 record in pool play forced them to enter action in the opening round of the bracket, where they easily handled the Rock Springs Storm, 14-0. Morgan Ekwall had an over-the-fence three-run shot in the win over the Storm.
The Extreme again had Torrington’s number in the quarterfinals of the upper bracket, besting the Twisters 9-1, forcing Torrington to drop to the lower bracket. Cheyenne Extreme – Hartigan could not replicate the results of Cheyenne Extreme – Harris, as Torrington picked up the big win, 10-1. The Twisters continued their hot streak, besting the Storm again, 10-0.
Moorehouse continued pitching into Sunday, as she was the only pitcher on the roster for the Twisters, due to injury.
“She did amazing,” Schmick said. “She practiced but didn’t play all summer. Michaela putting in all those innings to get us to third is just amazing.”
On top of having a low amount of pitchers, the Twisters had a low amount of players, finishing the weekend with nine healthy players.
“Everyone else played just amazing,” Schmick said. “I don’t want to spell out just a few kids because it was a full team effort.”
In a game that decided who finished third and who would compete in the championship, the Twisters fell to the Gillette Blue Jays, 11-3. The Blue Jays went on two win two straight games over the Cheyenne Extreme – Harris to win the championship, with the Extreme as the runners-up.
The core group of girls on this year’s 16-and-under Twisters have been playing together since their 10-and-under days. This is their first year not playing for a championship.
“It’s a spicy group of girls,” Schmick said. “We will see what next year brings. That’s our goal to get back in the swing of things.”
