Central's season ends on day two of state tournament

Central falls 10-4 to Bolts

Cheyenne Central’s second day in the state tournament started with a loss to East No. 2 seed Thunder Basin.

The Indians allowed the Bolts to score five runs in the first inning, a mark that set the tone for Central’s 10-4 loss on Thunder Basin’s home field.

Thunder Basin raced out to a 8-1 lead through the first three innings and didn’t budge the rest of the way. The Indians were able to plate two runs in the top of the fifth inning and one more in the seventh, but the lead was too much for Central to overcome down the stretch.

Cameron Moyte led the Indians at the plate with two RBI. Izzy Kelly had a team-high three hits and was the only other Central player to drive in a run.

Kelly took the loss on the mound with 10 runs allowed (five earned) on 13 hits while striking out four in six innings.

Trojans end Indians’ season

The Indians still had life after their first loss in the double-elimination tournament, but two late offensive rallies came up just short against Kelly Walsh in the 6-5 loss.

Central took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single from Bailey Martinez, but the Trojans were able to tie the game the next inning with a run of their own.

Kelly Walsh plated four more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 5-1 lead. Central was able to chip away at the lead with three runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh, but the Indians were eventually put away in their half of the seventh inning to come up one run short.

“They never gave up,” Central coach Carrie Barker said. “Each pitch, they were fighting for. They’re scrappy, and they didn’t want to give up. You could just tell how it important it was to them.

“I’m super proud of them. I’m proud of their season.”

Katie Hinz took the loss on the mound for Central with five runs allowed on five hits while walking five. Alexis Grady pitched two innings of relief, finishing with one run allowed on two hits while striking out one.

Kelly led the Indians with two of the team’s six hits. Moyte, Izzy Thomas and Martinez each drove in one run apiece.

Moments after the heartbreaking loss, Central gathered as a team near the batting cages of the Energy Capital Sports Complex. Barker, through tears, delivered a simple message to her players.

“I told them not to hang their heads or to live on it, because they played really hard,” Barker said. “I told them I feel like none of them should have any regrets because they played hard, and they shouldn’t feel like they left anything out there.

“... They’ve really come a long way. They’re just going to get better from here. Next year, they’re going to be really good. We’re young right now, and we only graduate two seniors. There’s a lot of things about this team that are going to be really good for the next couple years.”

Central went into the state tournament as the No. 4 seed from the East and upset West No. 1 seed Cody in the first round. The Indians ended the season with a 16-10 record, but the growth Barker’s team experienced over the past two months goes far beyond the final standings.

“I’m proud of their work ethnic and how they would never say die,” Barker said. “They were always constantly coming together as a team. I think that was the funnest part, just seeing them grow and get stronger as a team, instead of as individuals this year.”