Timp Sports Weekly
May 26, 2015
Publisher's Message
For this week's issue, we look at two baseball games played as part of the Rocky Mountain School's Memorial Day weekend tournament. One game involved the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's 14-under age division team play a club team from Montana. Another game saw the Timpanogos Timberwolves, AKA the T-Pups, take on the Evanston Outlaws, a Wyoming-based American Legion baseball team that I covered for the Uinta County Herald in 1997. Let's take a look at those two games.
Dean Von Memmott
Publisher
magnanovelist@gmail.com
Awesome AF Cavemen's 14-Under Division Squad Defeats Montana 10-4 in Memorial Day Invitational Game May 23
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
In a Memorial Day Invitational tournament game played at American Fork's Rotary Park May 23, the Awesome American Fork Cavemen's 14-under age division team defeated Montana 10-4.
American Fork Coach Jeff Thomas said, "Montana scored their first three runs in the first inning. We didn't make any runs until the third inning. We scored four runs that inning. After we had let them take that 3-0 lead on us, we told our guys, 'Quit swinging for the fences. Just make contact with the the ball. That was what we started doing in the third inning."
American Fork demolished the Montana squad in the fourth. With pitcher Connor Bulkley holding the Big Sky State players scoreless that inning, his Awesome Cavemen unleashed a string of devastating hits in the bottom of the fourth. Having hit a triple earlier in the game, American Fork's Stock Brems, a nephew of Awesome Cavewoman volleyball legend Marnie Breems, tripled in two runs to power a six-run rally in the fourth. During that rally, Shaffer "Schoony" Schoonover singled in two runs while Bulkley and Derek Brailsford each socked a one-run.
American Fork's devastating rally didn't stop Montana from scoring a fourth run in the game. After teammate Squeezer McGowan grounded out in the top of the fifth, Montana's Bull Konig singled into left, and he stole home. American Fork responded to that run by staging a double play.
In holding the Awesome Cavemen scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, Montana's orange-uniformed players attempted to rally back in the sixth. It opened witn Bulkley walking Parker "Thunder Clap" Strong. Montana couldn't get anywhere with Strong's walk. American Fork caused him to be stranded on base.
Timpanogos T-Pups Lock Up Evanston Outlaws 9-2 in Memorial Day Invitational May 23
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher
After having recently finished fourth at in the state 4-A baseball tournament, the Timpanogos Timberwolves, AKA Timberpups and T-Pups, posted a 9-2 win over the Evanston Outlaws, a Wyoming-based American Legion team, during a Memorial Day Invitational tournament game plahyed on the Mountain View Teddy Bears' home diamond May 23.
With the tournament sponsored by the Rocky Mountain School of Baseball, the Timberpups fielded a team for the invitational's 18-under age division. Because of the tournament's format, Timpanogos was able to play American Legion teams. One of them turned out to be Evanston.
The Outlaws are familiar to me. As I mentioned in my publisher's message, I covered them in 1997 when I worked at the Uinta County Herald. (I had quit that paper over some bitter feelings towards a managing editor, who had left the Herald two months before I did.) Since baseball isn't an official high school sport up in Wyoming, the only way Evanstonian boys can have a crack at fulfilling dreams of playing in the NCAA's College World Series or seeing action in the Major Leagues' World Series, is to go out for the Outlaws' team.
One look at it can make lots of Utah American Legion baseball clubs jealous. For one thing, the Outlaws' games are all broadcasted on an Evanston radio station. (I remember one-time sportscaster Don Lund broadcasting Outlaw games for the old KEVA-AM in the summer of 1997.) That was the case for the Timpanogos game. A trio of Wyoming sportscasters showed up for that contest, and from a table west of the Timberpup dugout, those guys called play-by-play action. The details that those sportscasters relayed to their Evanston listeners were not things that Outlaw fans appreciated hearing.
For one thing, T-Pup pitcher Blake Lasike posting four strikeouts while holding the Outlaws hitless and scoreless during the first three innings. Of course, Lasike did walk leadoff hitter Ian "Big Bass" Fisher in the top of the first. Its upper half ended with the T-Pups lassoing the Outlaws with a double play.
In the bottom of the first, T-Pup Tanner Evans singled into left, and before long, the T-Pups loaded the bases on one out. D.J. Martinez hit a three-run double to open the game's scoring. Evanston pitcher Fisher struck out Lasike, and Dillon Favilla flew out to center fielder Leland Tucker.
Walked by Fisher in the bottom of the second, T-Pup Kaden Walker came home on a Wade Deveridge sacrifice fly. The Outlaws didn't let the T-Pups make any more runs that inning.
The third's lower half opened with Casey Hamilton, a "distant cousin" of US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, slugging an infield single. After Martinez popped out to shortstop Braeden "E-I-O" McDonald, a Ty Cornish sacrifice groundout scored Hamilton.
The Outlaws delivered a slash to the T-Pups' 6-0 in the top of the fourth. It opened with Lasike walking
Chandler Anderson and Big Beau Lloyd. Though Lasike struck out Baltizar "Ball" Horrendo, Fisher doubled in Anderson, and Lloyd came home on an error. Those two runs demonstrated to the T-Pups that even though Evanston was a non-high school team, it now had to be taken seriously.
In the bottom of the fourth, Favilla doubled into left, and Jake Brooksby singled him in one out, only to get pinched in a fielder's choice play at second.
In the top of the fifth, center fielder Hamilton snatched a Will "Whirlwind" Kishpaugh fly ball, and shortstop Evans grounded out Alex Richins. Hunter "Brew" Dru whacked a single in hopes of enabling his Outlaws to go on a two-out rally. However, However, Lasike grounded out Griffy Mitchell, keeping Dru stuck on base.
The Outlaws held the T-Pups scoreless in the bottom of the fifth. In the sixth's lower half, though, a Martinez walk opened the way for a big T-Pup rally. It unfolded with Cornish singling in Martinez. Catcher Richins delivered a throw to second baseman Miles Piper to put out Favilla. In response to put that putout, a Walker sacrifice groundout scored a run, and Brooksby single reeled in a runner to put stretch the lead to 9-2.
On two outs in the top of the seventh, Fisher and McDonald each singled a fly ball deep into the outfield. However, Lasike struck out Tucker Leland to end the game, which to baseball fans in Evanston was an unhappy ending. To Timpanogos supporters, though, the game's outcome was something they wanted to howl about through the rest of the day.
The T-Pups lost a semifinal game to Olympus Titans, AKA the Midgets, on Memorial Day. The Midgets defeated the Timberpups 7-2.Played at the Mountain View Teddy Bears' home field, that contest saw the T-Pups trail the entire game.
The Midgets took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. In the bottom of the second, Hamilton singled in Evans. The T-Pups loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, giving them a chance of at least tying the game at two. Though a Lasike walk scored Halford, the Midgets prevented the T-Pups from pulling ahead.
Producing a game total of seven hits, the Midgets held the Timberpups scoreless through the rest of the game. Olympus picked up one run in the fourth, then in the seventh, the Midgets scored two runs on a walk and a sacrifice groundout to put the game away.
The Timberpups cranked out eight hits, but poisoned themselves with two fatal errors. Evans and Martinez each slugged two singles for the T-Pups.
