JACKSON, Wyo. – It was a busy weekend for the Jackson Giants as the Post 43 Legion baseball team traveled to Utah for a doubleheader Friday afternoon, only to race back home to host a team from Montana for a double-dip Saturday night—four games in 36 hours—and then play another Sunday morning game.
The Giants came away winless in all five contests. The Utah trip was a rough one as Jackson faced two quality ballclubs in BlueChip North and BlueChip White on Friday. Jackson dropped both games—a 14-1 drubbing at the hands of BlueChip North and a 12-4 loss to BlueChip White.
Parker Bleggi took the loss Friday, surrendering 5 runs on 5 hits while striking out 6. The nightcap was closer than the final score made it seem. The Giants held a 2-run lead until the 3rd when White tied things up. Jackson retook the lead in the 5th only to watch the game slip away after that. White scored 8 in its half of the 6th inning to win going away.
Seth Christiansen was tagged with the loss. He went five innings in the start against BlueChip White, allowing 6 runs on 12 hits. Bleggi batted 1.000 for the road trip going 6 for 6 in the two games.
Saturday at home
Back at the friendly confines of Giants Stadium, the Post 43 Jackson team gave a talented squad from Belgrade, Montana all they wanted in the first game of a nighttime doubleheader.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead in the opening frame thanks to an RBI double by Connor Lang. The Bandits managed to knot the score at 1-1 with a run in the 3rd and it was a pitcher’s duel from there with Belgrade’s starting pitcher Cooper Van Luchene matching Jackson’s Connor Lang every step of the way until Lang ran into trouble in the top half of the 6th.
With few arms available for manager Jason Huggins, Lang was left in to work his way out of the jam. He, and Van Luchene, went the distance on the mound for their respective teams. Lang tagged with the loss in the 5-1 final.
The nightcap was closer than it looked in the end. The 16-3 final score is a misleading one for sure. Again, starting pitchers Coby Richards (Belgrade) and Quentin Bruno (Jackson) locked horns for a fast-moving affair that was scoreless through 4 innings. When Belgrade finally broke the seal in the 5th it was off to the races.
A 9-run deluge in the 6th inning was answered by 4 Giants runs in the bottom half, but it was too little too late for Jackson.
The line on Bruno was solid. The Jackson starter gave up 2 runs on 5 hits in 5 innings of work. He struck out 6 and walked only 1 batter. Bruno had a good day at the plate as well, going 2-3.
Sunday morning coming down
As if the Giants had not seen enough of the Bandits, a rematch with Belgrade did not end well for Jackson on Sunday morning.
The Giants again took an early lead only to watch it melt away after a 7-run 2nd inning for the Bandits. The Belgrade bats exploded on Jackson starter Aaron Moya, touching him up for 15 runs on 17 hits in 4 innings of work. The 17-3 final looked more suited to the gridiron than the diamond.
The Giants record now falls to 3-8 on the season. Next up for Jackson is a home game against the Hillcrest Knights Monday, June 15 at 4 p.m. This weekend Jackson hosts the Southwest Series tournament with games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, June 20-21.
