GREEN RIVER — The Green River Knights varsity baseball team battled through six games during their annual home invite, picking up two victories while facing tough competition across four days of action that coincided with Flaming Gorge Days festivities.
The Knights opened tournament play on Thursday with a heartbreaking loss to the Laramie Rangers A, falling 11-5 after jumping out to a five-run lead in the bottom of the first. Dom Hamel, Korbin Nielson, and Zane Kovick all drove in runs to build the early advantage, but a nine-run fourth inning by Laramie — highlighted by a three-RBI single from Colton Carline — flipped the script.
Green River’s struggles continued in Thursday’s second game despite outhitting the Pocatello Rebels. Brody Fuller’s RBI double in the first put the Knights on the board early, but Pocatello rallied in the third and held Green River scoreless the rest of the way to claim a 6-1 victory.
The Knights bounced back Friday morning with their first win of the weekend, narrowly holding off 4B Post 23 from Blackfoot, Idaho 9-7. Green River built a 7-0 cushion through two innings, led by two-RBI performances from Hamel, James Hartman, and Davy Puckett. But Blackfoot mounted a charge with 13 total hits, forcing the Knights to dig in defensively late. Green River’s aggressive base running was a difference-maker — the team racked up 15 stolen bases in the win.
Later that afternoon, however, the Utah Yaks overwhelmed the Knights in a 13-3 rout, fueled by a 10-run fifth inning. Green River briefly led after run-scoring hits by Hamel and Travin Brown, but a three-run homer by Alec Vincent capped the fifth-inning surge for the Yaks and put the game out of reach.
Saturday saw another strong offensive showing from the Knights that came up just short in an 8-6 loss to Idaho Prime 16U. Down 7-1 by the third inning, Green River clawed back behind Hartman’s four RBI’s. Despite out-hitting Idaho 9-5, Green River couldn’t complete the comeback.
Green River closed the tournament on a high note Sunday with an 8-6 win over the Locwood Razorbacks in their sixth and final contest. The victory was sparked by Korbin Nielson’s two-run single in the second and a key bases-loaded walk in the third. Nielson finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs from the ninth spot in the lineup
Check out some photos from opening day of the tournament below.
