SWEETWATER COUNTY — Green River and Rock Springs closed out their final road trips of the regular season over the weekend, with both teams showing flashes of offensive firepower before turning their attention toward Monday’s Sweetwater County rivalry matchup and next weekend’s South Regional Tournament in Rock Springs.
Green River finished the weekend 1-3, highlighted by a dramatic win over Cheyenne South on Friday, while Rock Springs went 2-2, bouncing back from a pair of losses to Laramie with a Saturday sweep of Cheyenne South.
The Lady Wolves opened the weekend with one of their most exciting offensive performances of the season, defeating Cheyenne South 17-14 behind a historic day from Brinley Luth.
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Luth hit for the cycle in the victory, recording a double, triple, single and inside-the-park home run as Green River piled up 16 hits. The Lady Wolves erased multiple deficits throughout the game, including a six-run sixth inning and a five-run seventh inning to secure the win.
Jocelyn Shantz added a two-run homer during Green River’s sixth-inning rally, while Michael Burns, Hadlee Mortimer and Payton Shantz each finished with multiple hits.
The second game against South slipped away late, however, as Green River surrendered a four-run lead in an 11-5 loss. The Lady Wolves led 4-0 before South erupted for six runs in the fourth inning behind a three-run homer from Elana Osban.
Saturday proved difficult for Green River against No. 5 Laramie, which swept the doubleheader 24-0 and 20-3.
Despite the lopsided scores, the Lady Wolves continued to show offensive flashes at times against one of the top teams in Class 4A. Jocelyn Shantz homered in the second game against Laramie, while Sydney Lopez added an RBI double.
Green River now heads into Monday’s rivalry finale against Rock Springs after showing considerable improvement over the second half of the season. After beginning the year 0-14, the Lady Wolves have gone 5-7 over their last three weekends.
Rock Springs experienced a different path over the weekend.
The Lady Tigers struggled offensively Friday against Laramie, dropping games by scores of 8-2 and 6-5. In the second contest, Rock Springs nearly stole a win after taking a late lead before Laramie walked it off in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Rilynn Wester collected three hits in the loss, while Chloe Bertagnolli delivered a go-ahead two-run single before the Lady Plainsmen answered in the final frame.
After Friday’s struggles, Rock Springs responded in dominant fashion Saturday with a sweep of Cheyenne South.
The Lady Tigers exploded offensively in a 22-5 win in the opener, scoring 22 runs across the final three innings after falling behind early. Tarin Anderson led the charge with four RBIs, including an inside-the-park home run during a nine-run second inning.
Rock Springs followed that performance with a 15-0 shutout in the second game behind strong pitching from Ruby Florencio, who allowed just three hits over five innings.
Payton Tomison helped pace the offense with a three-run double in the first inning as the Lady Tigers quickly pulled away.
Rock Springs now turns its attention toward hosting Green River on Monday in the regular-season finale for both teams before the South Regional Tournament begins next weekend at the Wataha Recreational Complex.
