Powell Red Sox run to Minor League champion title

Posted 6/30/16

The Sox had gone through the regular season undefeated, with a 12-0 record, and kept on the winning track with an 11-0 quarterfinal win over the Powell Diamondbacks on Tuesday, June 21.

In the Thursday, June 23 semifinal contest, the Wilson Bros. …

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Powell Red Sox run to Minor League champion title

The minor league champion Powell Red Sox rolled to a 15-0 record on the season, rounding it out with three straight wins at the inter-league tournament in Lovell last week. Coaches, left to right, Gary Hatmaker, Chris Queen and Mike Gibson. Second row, left to right, Cade Queen, Dawson Griffin, Kash Brazelton, Dillon Payne, Jacob Gibson and Alex DeBoer. Front row, left to right, Brenton Henke, Noah Linton, Brody Payne, Ethan Welch and Evan Staidle.

Photo courtesy Tammy Payne

Posted Thursday, June 30, 2016 4:57 pm

By Tribune Staff

The Powell Red Sox made it a clean sweep through the inter-league tournament held in Lovell last week, winning three in a row to claim their second straight Minor League championship.

The Sox had gone through the regular season undefeated, with a 12-0 record, and kept on the winning track with an 11-0 quarterfinal win over the Powell Diamondbacks on Tuesday, June 21.

In the Thursday, June 23 semifinal contest, the Wilson Bros. Construction Cubs put up a good fight, but the Red Sox held on for an 8-5 win to send the team into the title game against the also unbeaten Lovell Dental Dodgers.

Ethan Welch got the start on the mound for Powell and kept Lovell off the scoreboard through the first two innings.

Dillon Payne doubled in the bottom of the first, mounting the Red Sox first threat, but only got as far as third base and the game stayed scoreless.

Welch would strike out two in the top of the second, with catcher Payne retiring the other out with a throw to second baseman Alex DeBoer to nab a would-be base stealer.

Powell wouldn’t get on the board in the bottom of the second, keeping it a 0-0 game, as it did after a scoreless third.

Welch retired a batter in the third via a strike out, his fifth in 2 1/3 innings, with Cade Queen taking over in relief.

Queen would strike out two to get out of the frame, and though Evan Staidle singled in the bottom half, the Dodgers left him stranded to keep the game knotted.

The offenses picked up a bit in the fourth as Lovell notched a run to take a momentary lead.

But in the bottom half, Queen led off with a triple and would race in to score the tying run when a pitch got away.

The Red Sox then broke the tie as Dawson Griffin was hit by a pitch and would come around on singles by Jacob Gibson and Kash Brazelton for a 2-1 lead.

Queen held Lovell at bay in the top of the fifth and would be a part of adding two insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Welch worked a walk to get it started, with Payne hitting a single and Queen drawing a base on balls to load the bases.

Gibson then came up big with a two-run double, plating Welch and Payne for a 4-1 lead.

That margin would hold up as Queen struck out three in the top of the sixth to seal the deal and keep the minor league championship in the possession of the Red Sox for the second year in a row.