As the days wind down on their trip to the Western Regionals of the Little League Baseball World Series, Powell’s Junior All-Stars are seeing the workload diminish, while the intensity increases.

“We’ve been doing two-a-days for a while now, but we’re easing it up as we get ready to leave,” head coach Matthew Lengfelder said at practice Tuesday. “But we also want to get them into competition mode and get their intensity going.”

To that end, Tuesday’s practice got as much into game mode as it could as Lengfelder positioned nine players in the field and had four batters make up a line up and take their turns hitting until the defense got three outs.

At various points, Lengfelder would ask out loud what the situation was and await replies from his fielders.

“One out, a man on third and we’re down 3-0,” he yelled out when a runner reached third. “We can’t let them get another run, so infield has to come in and keep that run from scoring.”

When three outs were made, another group of four batters would come in, and the fielders rearranged and the pitcher replaced for another inning.

“We had a couple of older kids, like Justin Lynn who was on the 2009-10 Babe Ruth team that won state, come in and pitch to them,” Lengfelder said. “And Justin talked to them about expectations and how the balls are hit a little faster and farther, and how the pitching and the speed of the game is just a bit quicker.”

And so the team will hit the road Monday and get into Vancouver, Washington, just across the border from Portland, Oregon, Tuesday.

“Our first game is against LaGrande, Oregon, which is a town of about 13,000, which isn’t huge by any means,” Lengfelder said. “They swept through state pretty easily, winning one game 16-1 and a 10-0 win in the championship game on a combined no-hitter.

“They have a couple of kids that throw the ball really well and both of those pitchers look like they’re big hitters,” he continued. “I saw a team picture and size wise, I don’t see them looking any different than us.”

That will likely be the case with most teams, not looking a whole lot different, but the competition will certainly be a step up.

“Our job is to get them prepared and put them in positions to be successful,” Lengfelder said. “After that, talent is talent and on any given day, talent levels can rise and fall, so you’ve just got to make sure the fundamentals are in place.”

The Powell Junior All-Stars, and Wyoming State champions, will be hosting meet-and-greets with free lemonade Friday and Saturday at the Grandstand during the Park County Fair as part of their fund raising efforts. The team heads to Vancouver, Washington, next week for the Little League Juniors West Regional in a quest to reach the Little League World Series. The meet-and-greet will be from 5:45-7:15 p.m. Friday and from 4:45-6:15 p.m. Saturday.