Thirteen home runs and a 40-run differential helped the Powell Pioneers blast past the competition at the Class ‘A’ West District Tournament in Green River, defeating Rawlins 25-0, Evanston 13-3 and Cody 5-0 to claim a second straight district tournament title.

POWELL 25, RAWLINS 0

Featuring as the No. 2 seed out of the Northwest, the Pioneers (42-18) took on the Southwest No. 3 seed Bandits (4-25).

Runs came early and often for the Pioneers, when Brock Johnson doubled to lead off and advanced to third after Ethan Welch singled to join him.

Cade Queen flew out to score one, and Trey Stenerson followed with a double to make it 2-0.

Jhett Schwahn reached on an error to score another, before Cole Fauskee doubled and scored one more to make it 4-0.

Jordan Loera singled and scored one, and Dalton Worstell was hit by a pitch to get on base.

Jacob Gibson doubled to bring in a run, before Johnson popped out for the second out of the inning.

Welch singled and scored a pair, and Queen hit a home run to make it 10-0.

Stenerson followed with a solo shot of his own to make it 11-0.

Schwahn doubled and was brought in on a Fauskee single to make it 12-0, but Powell was unable to find more in the first.

Devin Kokkeler walked to lead off the second, and advanced to second on a Gibson ground out.

Johnson singled to score Kokkeler, before Queen once again hit a home run to make it 15-0.

In the third, Ben Ostermiller singled to lead off and Loera doubled to join him.

Gibson was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Johnson stepped up and hit a grand slam to make it 19-0.

Trevion Solberg doubled and Queen doubled to score him, before Stenerson stepped up and hit a two-run home run to make it 22-0.

Powell capped off the scoring in the fourth, when Johnson reached on an error, Solberg singled and Queen hit a three-run home run to make it 25-0.

“It got the jitters out, not that there were many,” manager Jason Borders said. “I wasn’t expecting that (score) but I figured we would handle them pretty well.”

Queen led with three home runs, bringing in nine RBIs for the day.

Johnson went 3-5 with five RBIs, Stenerson went 4-5 with four RBIs, Welch and Fauskee each had two RBIs while Loera and Gibson each had one RBI.

Loera, Aiden Greenwald and Ostermiller combined for a perfect game on the mound with seven strikeouts, as Powell outhit Rawlins 23-0 and committed no errors compared to two for the Bandits.

POWELL 13, EVANSTON 3

After the win Friday the Pioneers advanced to the semifinals, taking on the Outlaws (22-20) for a spot in the championship game.

Powell got things started early in the bottom of the first once again, when Johnson singled to lead off and advanced to second after a Welch ground out.

Johnson advanced to third on a passed ball before Queen flew out and Johnson scored to make it 1-0.

Stenerson followed with a solo home run, and Powell led 2-0 after the first.

In the third Powell extended that lead, when Queen and Stenerson hit back-to-back solo home runs to lead off and make it 4-0.

Evanston responded in the top of the fourth and cut into the lead, when a single followed by a home run made it 4-2.

The Pioneers pushed the lead back out in the bottom half of the fourth, when Gibson and Johnson singled to lead off.

Runners advanced on a sac bunt by Welch before Queen scored one on a fly out to make it 5-2.

Stenerson singled and scored another as Powell led 6-2.

The Outlaws scored one more in the top of the sixth, after a walk and two singles brought in a run and made it 6-3.

Powell found a late push  to end the game in six, when Johnson led off with a solo home run.

“By the middle of the Evanston game it felt like the ball was always leaving the yard,” Borders said.

Welch and Queen walked, with both runners advancing on a passed ball to put runners in scoring position.

Stenerson singled to score two, before Schwahn walked and Fauskee singled to load the bases up 9-3.

Loera walked to score one, and Greenwald singled to score another and make it 11-3.

Johnson flew out to score another, and Welch walked to reload the bases.

Loera found his way home on a passed ball during Queen’s at bat, and Powell finished with the 13-3 win.

“They (Evanston) were first in their conference and qualified for state, I can’t take a lot away from them,” Borders said. “They’re a good ‘A’ baseball team … (But) our quadrant is so good. Us, Lovell and Cody are such a tough quadrant, we play each other and beat up on each other.”

Stenerson went 4-4 with five RBIs and two home runs, Queen had three RBIs, Johnson went 3-4 with two RBIs, and Loera and Greenwald each had one RBI.

Greenwald gave up six hits and had six strikeouts in five innings pitched, and Queen closed with two strikeouts.

“He threw really well. Scattered six hits out and Evanston hits well,” Borders said of Greenwald.

POWELL 5, CODY 0

A familiar face greeted the Pioneers in the championship game, as the Cubs (36-19-1) won their game against Lovell 12-2 to make the final.

It was the third matchup in two weeks between the county rivals.

Stenerson and Schwahn both hit solo home runs in the top of the second, kickstarting the Pioneer offense.

“It feels good to give Brock a lead (on the mound) but I wasn’t comfortable with it,” Borders said.

He added that Schwahn’s return to the lineup throughout the weekend was a boost for the Pioneers, as he was back on the diamond just 12 days after being bitten by a rattlesnake.

“That was a big lift for us (Jhett returning),” Borders said. “He’s our leader … He keeps everybody focused and in the game. We didn’t have him behind the plate but we didn’t need him behind the plate. It was like he never left really.” 

Cody had a chance to answer in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with one out, but Powell escaped through a fielder’s choice out at home and a fly out to keep it 2-0.

Johnson singled to lead off the top of the third, and Queen followed with his fifth home run of the weekend, as the two-run shot extended the lead to 4-0.

Powell got its final run of the game in the fifth when Queen walked, but was out on a fielder’s choice to second that saw Stenerson reach first.

He stole second, and advanced on a Schwahn single.

Schwahn attempted to steal second, and was caught in a run down that allowed Stenerson to score and make it 5-0.

Johnson continued to keep the Cubs at bay, not allowing more than one baserunner.

He pitched 6-2/3 innings, giving up two hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

Queen recorded one strikeout after Johnson reached his pitch count.

Queen had two RBIs while Schwahn and Stenerson each had one.

“They’re focused on one thing and one thing only, that’s winning baseball games,” Borders said.

STATE TOURNAMENT

Powell now returns home for one last time this season, hosting the state tournament starting Saturday.

Borders said despite hosting he knows there will be plenty of distractions throughout the week, including the fair taking place up to the start of the tournament on Saturday.

“There’s going to be distractions all weekend,” Borders said. “It’s going to be a lot but I think they’ll handle it.”

The Pioneers will take on the No. 4 seed out of the ‘A’ East, the Gillette Rustlers (33-29) at 7 p.m. on Saturday to cap off the first day of the tournament.

Gillette defeated Powell 8-4 back on June 7 during the Buffalo Wild Wings Tournament in Billings, with the Pioneers looking for revenge in the postseason.

“They’re locked in and they’re focused on the task at hand,” Borders said. “I feel like if we go out and play Pioneer baseball we’ll be fine. I’ve watched that other side all year and I can’t get a read. We just gotta go do our thing.”

A full tournament bracket will be available in Thursday’s Tribune.