The Lowry High School baseball team went to Dayton last weekend and started out strong with two wins, but the Buckaroos lost a heartbreaker in the last game to go to 5-8 in league play and make a playoff run a real challenge.
“It should have been three wins, we didn’t play well in that last game at all," said LHS coach Andy Harmon. "We played well on Friday. It was important to come out with that first win. Ridge (Ricketts) didn’t have his best stuff, but he did a good job of keeping guys off balance. We out hit them and out scored them in the end. It took us until the third inning to get on the board, and we told the kids that if you let them hang around they will beat you.”
The Buckaroos spotted the Dust Devils a run in the first inning on Friday, but they came back strong with two runs in each inning from the third through the seventh to take a 10-6 victory over Dayton.
Ricketts also hit two homers in the contest.
In the first game on Saturday, the Buckaroos pounded out 18 hits in a convincing 19-3 victory over the Dust Devils.
Jordan Parker and Ricketts both hit home runs, and Ricketts slammed five RBI during his 3-5 hitting performance.
Brendan Domire held Dayton to three hits and only gave up two walks.
“Neither Ridge or Brendan had their best stuff on the mound, but they both pitched well enough to get the wins for us,” Harmon said.
In the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday the Dust Devils took an early lead, scoring a run in each of the first two innings, but the Buckaroos answered with three in the third and the game was tied at 8-8 going into the final frame.
“They saved their best pitcher until the last game, and we had seven errors in that game,” Harmon said. “You are going to lose to anybody when that happens. Our pitching has been good, and we are hitting the ball well, but making errors has been our nemesis.”
Lowry gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh to give Dayton the 9-8 victory in the final game of the series.
“Those two make-up games against North Valleys are going to be huge now,” Harmon said. “We are going to be fighting for a playoff spot with them.”
The North Valleys make-up games have not been re-scheduled yet.
Lowry takes on Churchill County (Fallon) (12-3) at home on Friday, April 12 at 2 p.m. and Saturday, April 13 in a double-header starting at 10 a.m.
On Saturday, April 20 the Buckaroos will travel to Sparks for a double-header at 11 a.m.
