The Powell Pioneers A league team finished the regular season on a high note, sweeping Lovell in Friday’s doubleheader in Cowley.

In both games, the Pioneers worked efficiently from the plate. They combined for 24 hits and 18 runs in the two contests.

As the season has progressed, head coach Joe Cates has seen his team’s offensive output increase.

“They’ve been swinging the bat great the past couple of weeks, and I think it’s rolling over. Their approach from the plate is amazing right now,” Cates said. “They know they can put the ball in play hard, and they’re doing that right now. We’re swinging the bat well and I hope it carries on.”

Powell logged six runs in the first three innings of the first game, giving the Pioneers an early advantage. Strong pitching and defense allowed the Pioneers to stay in control for the game’s entirety, eventually winning 6-4.

Cameron Wentz earned the win, throwing four innings and allowing three earned runs. A three-inning appearance with no earned runs paved the way for Colin Queen’s first save of the year.

After a brief intermission, the Pioneers began the second game with the same energy.

They burst out of the gates, dashing to an 8-2 lead after five innings. A combination of Powell’s timely hitting and defensive bloopers from Lovell helped the Pioneers sustain the lead.

But things got dicey in the late innings. Powell’s defensive performance deteriorated and allowed Lovell to claw back into the game.

After a dreadful sixth frame for the Pioneers, the Mustangs trailed by just one run heading into the seventh.

“I brought them in and said, ‘Physical errors happen; let’s score some more runs,’” Cates said.

And that’s just what the Pioneers did: A four-run seventh inning sealed Powell’s second win in a row, this time with a 12-7 final score.

“They responded, swung the bat great that seventh inning, and that was the end result,” said Cates.

Though the fielding temporarily went by the wayside, the Pioneers made several head-turning plays throughout the doubleheader. In particular, an accurate throw to the plate from deep center field by Queen was fielded perfectly by catcher Jhett Schwahn, who tagged out a Mustang runner in game two.

“It felt great,” Schwahn said. “I was just trying to stay back on the ball and get the ball and just make sure that I stayed in front of the plate.”

All in all, the Pioneers played some of their best baseball in the two-game sweep of Lovell. And with the district tournament set to begin on Friday, the surge couldn’t have come at a better time.

“It’s the best time to peak,” Cates said. “There’s nothing to complain about. We just have to keep it going.”

Added Schwahn, “We’ve been kind of in a slump, so it feels good to get out of it. It builds a lot of confidence for us.”

Game one:

Powell 1 0 5 0 0 0 0 R6 H11  E1

Lovell  3 0 0 0 1 0 0  E4 H10 E2

Game two:

Powell 3 0 1  1  3 0 4   R12 H13 E8

Lovell  2 0 0 0 0 4  1   R7  H13 E9