Live from Bozeman

[Editor's note -- The most recent updates will appear at the top.]

6:40 p.m. -- The Powell Pioneers finished as the 2010 Northwest Region tournament runner-up following a 12-9 loss at the hands of Ashland, Ore. The Pioneers have played 11 regional tournament games over the last two seasons. Their only losses in that time have been to the eventual tournament champions.

Brady Thomas, who held the Pioneers to a single run in the first-round game between these two teams entered in the fifth inning with Ashland clinging to a one-run lead, 3-2. Thomas, the eventual tournament MVP, proceeded to strike out four of the first seven batters he faced as he held Powell hitless during his first three innings on the hill.

During that time, the Pilots from Oregon threatened to stop the contest early. Pitcher Scotty Jameson, who tagged in for Powell starter Josh Cragoe after two innings, was the victim of momentary wildness and also a couple errors in the field behind him during a five-run sixth inning by the Pilots. Ashland added a single tally in the seventh and uncorked a three-run home run in the eighth inning to make the score 12-2 and chase Jameson from the hill.

Just when the contest looked like it was over, the Pioneers found a way to make it exciting. Auston Carter led off the bottom of the eighth with a hit. Colter Bostick followed with a single of his own, setting the stage for what was, perhaps, the momentum shifting play of the game. Tyler England appeared to be hit on the forearm, but after extended discussion, and despite England's effort to show officials the mark on his wrist, the umpiring crew ruled the ball had hit the bat for a fouled strike.

Pioneer head coach Mike Jameson was ejected for being too persistent with his questioning of the call. Following the ejection, the next six Pioneer batters all reached base safely, leading to seven Powell runs, drawing the Wyoming champs back to within three runs. Thomas worked a 1-2-3 ninth, however, to preserve the championship for the Oregon representatives.

Carter, Bostick, Grant Geiser and Colt Nix each finished with two hits as Powell tagged Ashland for 11 hits. The Pioneers were guilty of 15 strikeouts in the contest, however, and also were harmed by four costly errors on defense.

This will be my last blog entry for the 2010 Northwest Regional tournament. For more information on all the happenings here in Bozeman, be sure to check out Thursday's edition of the Powell Tribune.

2:30 p.m. -- It will end the same way it started. The Powell Pioneers will face Ashland, Ore., for the championship of the 2010 Northwest Regional tournament following a gritty 8-5 victory over Laurel, Mont.

Powell managed just six hits in the contest and drove in just two of their eight runs. The remainder of the damage was self-inflicted as Laurel was guilty of six errors in the contest.

In need of a clutch pitching performance by someone, the Pioneers received just that from Jake Beuster. The Powell starter threw seven and two-thirds innings, allowing just seven hits and striking out four. He walked six, but was able to get himself out of jams time and again thanks to a solid Powell defense. Beuster surrendered just two runs. Scotty Jameson came in and closed the door for a save, recording three strikeouts in the process.

Jameson will be available for all but two outs of the championship contest.

The contest was a scoreless tie heading into the fifth inning. A solo home run to left gave Laurel a 1-0 lead, but Powell answered in the bottom of the inning thanks to two walks and two hit batters in the frame. Powell took the lead an inning later and held it the rest of the way. The game didn't look secure until the eighth inning. Up 4-2, Powell batted around in the frame as its first five hitters reached base safely, resulting in four valuable insurance runs. With rain starting to fall, Laurel tagged Jameson for a trio of ninth inning runs before coaxing a fly ball for the final out.

The championship game is tentatively scheduled to begin around 3 p.m., but with rain falling as the contest ended and more grey clouds visible to the southwest, we'll see if that actually happens.

11:30 a.m. -- We're half an hour out from opening pitch and for the Pioneers, that first pitch will be handled by Jake Beuster, who will be taking the mound for the first time in this tournament. Meanwhile, dark clouds are hugging the mountains around the valley. Hopefully they'll stay away and we can get a full day's worth of baseball in as scheduled. The time for today's championship game will be 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Powell-Laurel contest.

Tuesday, 9:45 a.m. -- We're a little more than two hours out from the opening pitch of Laurel-Powell. Somebody please explain to me why two high-caliber programs in close proximity to each other geographically somehow never play in the regular season. This would have made for a headline regular-season doubleheader either of these last two summers.

Then again, the fact that they haven't met just adds to the aura of the contest when it occurs in the regional tournament.

The big question for the Pioneers today is how to handle their pitching situation. Scotty Jameson has 9.2 innings available today. Colter Bostick has a little over three available. Grant Geiser has five remaining in his account. Aside from Colt Nix, every other arm in the Pioneers' stable is staring at 12 innings of availability today.

Last year in this situation, head coach Mike Jameson rolled the dice and tried to slip through the early game, leaving Scotty with a full tank of innings for the championship game. The only problem was the Pioneers came up one base hit short of reaching the title game.

On the other hand, you'd hate to reach the title game and have to take a committee approach with the championship on the line. These decisions are why head coaches get paid the big bucks.

Weather-wise, we're looking at a game-time temperature in the upper 70s or low 80s. The ever-present threat of rain is called for in the afternoon, so we'll see if Mother Nature impacts play on this final day.

There's really not much else to say and they're about to kick me out of my office-away-from-office in the hotel, so lets wrap this entry up and see what happens on the final day of the 2010 Pioneers baseball season.

11 p.m. -- It'll be Laurel vs. Powell at high noon on Tuesday to determine who advances to the championship game. The defending regional runner-up handed Ashland, Ore., its first tournament loss with a 21-9 seven-inning victory on Monday night.

Powell and Laurel, two teams that have never met in the regular season the past two years despite enjoying a high level of post-season success, will play at noon on Tuesday. The winner advances to play Ashland in a winner-takes-all championship game.

6:15 p.m. -- Neither rain nor hail was going to keep the Powell Pioneers from their appointed round in the final day of the Northwest Region baseball tournament in Bozeman, Mont.. Powell handled an hour-long weather delay as easily as it did Bonneville pitching in recording a 14-5 victory to advance to tomorrow's noon contest. Whether that game will be a sought-after meeting with Laurel, Mont., or a rematch with opening-round foe Ashland, Ore., remains to be seen.

Colter Bostick pitched eight and one-third innings, allowing nine hits and five runs, two of which came in the ninth inning after Powell had the game well in hand. The lefty fanned eight Bonneville batters, five of those after having to endure the 60-minute stoppage in play. Colt Nix tagged in to register the game's final two outs.

Offensively, Powell returned from the rain delay to smash 11 hits off Bees pitchers in the final four innings. Grant Geiser finished 4-for-4 with a pair of RBIs. Josh Cragoe added a three-hit day that included a double and two RBIs. Auston Carter, Tyler England and Dallas Robirds each drove home a pair of runs as the Pioneers spread their 17 hits liberally throughout the lineup.

Powell is now one of the final three teams left standing. That number could drop to two before the evening is complete as an Oregon victory would eliminate Laurel. Regardless, it will take two Pioneer wins on Tuesday to bring home the title.

4:30 p.m. -- After an hour rain delay, we're getting ready to get back to action. Let's hope we don't have to do that again.

3:30 p.m. -- Welcome to Bozeman, Mont., where we're currently in a lightning/rain/hail (take your pick, we've got all three) delay in the middle of the fifth inning. The Powell Pioneers are on top 9-2 at present.

Mother Nature was kind enough to wait to unleash until after the Pioneers had brought across four two-out runs in the top half of the fifth to pad an already-three run lead.

Bonneville tagged Powell starter Colter Bostick for a two-run homer in the bottom of the first, but hasn't managed a hit off the Pioneers' lefty in three innings since. Bees' pitchers, however, have issued 10 free passes already today. Powell has converted eight of those opportunities into runs.

We're in a holding pattern until the weather subsides. It could be a while.

12:3o p.m. -- We're about 90 minutes out from the first pitch of today's game, which is a rematch of the 2009 tournament opener between the Pioneers and Bonneville, Idaho, Bees. For those that weren't at that game, you missed a wild one. Bonneville grabbed an early lead, thanks in part to Pioneer errors, then slid way behind when Powell sent its entire batting order up to plate twice in a monster double-digit inning that appeared to put the Pioneers in control.

Not so fast. Bonneville battled all the way back, chasing Pioneer starter Scotty Jameson and regaining the lead late on a home run off reliever Grant Geiser. Powell answered in its final at-bat as Bonneville walked Colter Bostick to get to Auston Carter, who delivered a game-winning RBI to advance the Pioneers.

In other words, prepare for a wild and potentially high-scoring ride today.

After a cool and grey morning, the skies have cleared enough to let sunshine through, although we'll be playing the game under a 50 percent threat of thunderstorms. They've appeared like clockwork in the region every afternoon of the tournament, so why not expect them today as well. For that reason, the laptop may well be staying in the safety and dry comfort of my hotel room today.

One would imagine the Pioneers will hand the ball to Bostick today as Powell's day one starter has seen his innings count reset and will be available to throw the distance today. Scotty Jameson is the only Pioneer running up against the innings cap right now. After seeing action the last two days, Jameson will have just two and two-thirds innings available today. Powell would, obviously, like to keep those in the bag so that, should the Pioneers advance, they'll have him available for a full game tomorrow.

Monday, 6:15 a.m. -- Just a quick note to confirm that Powell is, indeed, playing in the 2 p.m. game today. The Pioneers will face Bonneville, Idaho, which fell 19-13 to the still-undefeated Ashland (Ore.) Pilots. Idaho's representative was actually ahead in that game going into the seventh inning before the Pilots unleashed a barrage of 13 runs over their final three at-bats to overwhelm the Bees. Laurel, Mont., takes their shot at Ashland at 6 p.m. tonight. By day's end we could be down to two teams or still have three left in play here in Bozeman, Mont.

6:30 p.m. -- They haven't announced it, but unless I'm missing something, Powell will play the Bonneville Bees out of Idaho regardless of what happens in tonight's late game. The pairing was ensured when Laurel eliminated host Gallatin Valley by a lopsided 19-1 final count in a game that was stopped in the fifth inning by one heck of a rain storm.

Idaho and Ashland, Ore., will play tonight, but the only breakdown of the remaining four teams that wouldn't feature a repeat game at this stage would be for Powell and Bonneville to play in one game and Ashland and Laurel to play in the other.

The remaining question will be which time slot will the Pioneers appear in. At this time the online schedule is still showing Powell in the 2 p.m. contest. We'll let you know if something changes.

2:30 p.m. -- Tell the office I won't be in tomorrow. The Powell Pioneers have advanced to the Final Four of the 2010 Northwest Region tournament with an 11-7 victory over Blacksmith Fork, Utah. Tyler England was 4-for-5 with a double and three RBIs. Auston Carter drove home another three batters as all 10 of the Pioneers' RBIs came from the number five slots or lower in the batting order.

For the second year in a row, Grant Geiser gave Powell a clutch pitching performance, throwing six and two-thirds innings to pick up the victory. Scotty Jameson tagged in and threw the final seven outs to register his second save of the season.

Powell will play again tomorrow at a time and against an opponent to be determined. Due to Legion rules designed to prevent teams from facing each other twice unless absolutely necessary, the Pioneers could find themselves playing just about anybody still on the bracket.

Out in Oregon, the Babe Ruth All-Stars' run came to a 15-2 end at the hands of Kitsap, Wash. Here's a big tip of the ol' ballcap to head coach Pudge Fagan and his crew. Great job of representing the state of Wyoming and making the community proud.

11:15 a.m. -- They're underway in Oregon and after one inning of play, the score is 0-0 between Powell and Kitsap, Wash. Kitsap is batting in the second inning. Live play-by-play is being posted to the Powell Babe Ruth Facebook page for those who want to follow along. Kudos to those behind the effort to make that happen.

Here in Bozeman, we're about 45 minutes out from game time. As with every other day this week, we're looking at sunny skies right now with the threat of afternoon rain and not a hint of breeze at the moment. Should Powell win, their next game time and opponent won't be known until later tonight. We're at that stage of the tournament where teams theoretically could start encountering each other a second time and, under American Legion rules, they'll avoid that scenario at all costs, even if it means sliding around teams on the bracket. What we do know is that by day's end, there will be only four teams still remaining.

Sunday, 10 a.m. -- We're about two hours out from opening pitch with six teams remaining here in Bozeman, Mont. Powell will face Blacksmith Fork, Utah. For many of the teams here, today is all about survival as the innings cap for Friday's starters will start to reduce after today. Expect many pitching-by-committee situations today as depth plays a role in today's managerial decisions.

No word yet on who the Pioneers plan to send to the hill. It was in this position last season that the Pioneers received a gritty complete-game performance by Grant Geiser that helped set Powell up for a run to the tournament's final day. A similar showing from someone in orange and black would again set the team up nicely to possibly make a stab at prolonging baseball through Tuesday.

Out in Oregon, the Powell Babe Ruth team is about one hour away from its semifinal appearance against Kitsap, Wash. Hopefully the All-Stars can take a page out of the Pioneers' playbook yesterday and toss a shutout on the board to reach the championship game. Kelso, Wash., and Bayview, Idaho, will meet in the second semifinal contest of the day. The winners meet this evening for a spot in the Babe Ruth World Series tournament.

7 p.m. -- Just received word that Klamath Falls won by a 15-5 count out in Oregon, so the Powell Babe Ruth All-Stars are in the championship semifinals on Sunday. They'll play at 11 a.m. against Kitsap, Wash. Powell is now two wins away from a spot in the Babe Ruth World Series. Good luck to head coach Pudge Fagan and crew out in Oregon as they look to make the weekend even more memorable on the diamond.

6:45 p.m. -- Powell will face Blacksmith Fork after the Utah squad fell 14-2 to the Bonneville Bees. First pitch is scheduled for noon tomorrow.

Things go well for Powell out in Klamath Falls. The Nationals currently lead Hermiston by a 14-3 count. Unless the northern Oregon squad scores and scores fast, this will be over via run rule and the Powell All-Stars will advance to the semifinals as the No. 2 seed from their pool.

4:00 p.m. -- Three of Powell's first four batters doubled and the difference from Friday to Saturday couldn't have been more dramatic than night and day as the Pioneers are now one of six teams left playing in Bozeman.

Grant Geiser finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBIs. He also recorded a pair of outfield assists from center field in the eighth inning to help preserve Powell's shutout. Josh Cragoe and Scotty Jameson each added two hits while Auston Carter and Colter Bostick each drove in a pair of runs.

Every member of the Pioneers' lineup recorded at least one hit in the contest.

As impressive, and necessary, as the victory was, it could have been better. The Pioneers stranded a whopping 14 baserunners in the contest. The team also suffered from having a couple baserunning gaffes that cut potential big innings short and forced the contest to its full nine innings.

Jameson threw seven innings before being lifted in the hope of conserving his innings for later games. All pitchers in Bozeman are on a 12-inning limit during any three-day window. Jameson allowed four hits and a walk while striking out four. Colt Nix threw the final two innings in relief, getting a huge boost from Geiser in the eighth inning, then registering back-to-back strikeouts in the ninth to help extract himself from a bases-loaded, nobody out scenario and preserve Powell's shutout.

The afternoon session begins in half an hour. Utah and Idaho will be the first to play. Just like yesterday, the skies are darkening to the west. We'll see if we get day two of baseball in a severe thunderstorm watch.

In Babe Ruth action, we have a bad news, good news scenario. The bad news is that Kelso, Wash., notched a 13-3 five-inning victory over Powell. The good news is that the All-Stars kept the score low enough in the contest that all they need to advance to tomorrow's semifinals is for the host Klamath Falls Nationals to defeat Hermiston, Ore., in the last game of the night.

3:15 p.m. -- The Powell Pioneers remained alive in the 2010 Northwest Region tournament with a 9-0 victory today. Scotty Jameson and Colt Nix combined for a six-hit shutout to end four games' worth of frustration against Washington teams in the tournament. The Pioneers will play tomorrow against the loser of the Blacksmith Fork, Utah, - Bonneville, Idaho game that will be coming up next.

Out in Klamath Falls, Ore., the Powell Babe Ruth team trails Kelso, Wash., 6-3 in the third inning.

More details on the Pioneers' game once I'm clear of the dugout. Stay tuned.

12:35 p.m. -- They're taking infield, so just a few more minutes. Scotty Jameson gets his turn on the hill for Powell today. Also, following up on a note from yesterday, Tyler England is in today's starting lineup and appears to be running without issue in pregame. There has been a slight change to the Pioneers' usual batting order though. Olie Olson will bat in the leadoff spot today with England sliding down to the seven hole.

12:15 p.m. -- Laurel lives to fight another day with a 16-6 win over the Alaska Road Warriors in an eight-inning contest. Alaska had rallied for a 6-4 lead before everything fell apart and Laurel unleashed a dozen unanswered runs. We're running almost on time, so that 12:30 p.m. first pitch might actually fall close to 12:30 p.m.

10:45 a.m. -- Not to forget the drama taking place out in Klamath Falls, Ore., today, I've put pen to paper and examined the scenarios for the Powell Babe Ruth team in today's final day of pool play. If Powell defeats Kelso, Wash., today and Hermiston, Ore., loses to the Klamath Falls Nationals. Powell advances as the top seed in its pool with Kelso following as the No. 2 team from the pool. Wins by both Powell and Hermiston set up a three way tie in which Powell would still advance as either the No. 1 or No. 2 team provided it does not give up 18 more runs than Hermiston does in its win today. I'll take those odds.

The same holds true if Powell and Hermiston both lose today, except in that case the All-Stars would have to avoid surrendering 19 runs over the amount scored by Hermiston to avoid being passed by the host Klamath Falls Nationals.

The only scenario that does not work out in Powell's favor comes should the All-Stars fall in today's game and Hermiston defeat the Nationals in the tournament's final pool-play game.

Saturday, 10:25 a.m. -- Back at Heroes Park in Bozeman, Mont., where, I'm happy to report, the sun did, indeed, come up today following the darkness of yesterday's debacle. What remains to be seen is if the Pioneers can shake off their four-game losing streak against teams from the state of Washington and live to fight for at least one more day in the 2010 Northwest Region tournament.

After dodging severe thunderstorms that dumped record levels of rain further west in the valley last night, the skies are beginning to clear here in Bozeman. There's not a lick of breeze to speak of and the Laurel Dodgers are attempting to stave off elimination against the Alaska Road Warriors. We're in the third inning and its 4-2 Laurel right now.

If we run on schedule, we're just a shade over two hours out from first pitch in Powell-Olympia. That said, we have yet to start the second game of any session on time, so don't be surprised if 12:30 p.m. drifts closer to 1 p.m.

11:20 p.m. -- It will be Powell vs. Olympia, Wash., with the loser making an early exit from the 2010 Northwest Regional tournament. Olympia fell 7-2 to the host team, Gallatin Valley, Mont., this evening after committing five errors in the field and striking out 13 times at home plate. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Bonneville, Idaho, defeated Wasilla, Alaska, 11-7 in the day's other game. So your Saturday schedule has Laurel-Wasilla in one elimination game, followed by Powell-Olympia. Blacksmith Fork and Bonneville meet in one championship semifinal and Gallatin Valley and Ashland meet in the other.

A Powell victory on Saturday advances them to face the loser of the Blacksmith Fork-Bonneville contest.

4 p.m. -- I've changed venues to my office-away-from-office at the hotel. Putting some more details to the Pioneers' game, Powell finished with six hits. Olie Olson was 2-for-3 with a triple. Grant Geiser was 2-for-3 with a double. Tyler England and Josh Cragoe recorded Powell's other two hits.

England gave Pioneer fans a nervous moment near game's end. During his at-bat in the seventh inning, England fouled a ball off his kneecap. After a few moments on the ground and a few more jogging in foul territory to test his leg, England was able to finish his at-bat, but was clearly still walking gingerly on it following the contest. Hopefully its one of those things that will get better with time tonight and he'll be at 100 percent when the Pioneers fight to stave off elimination tomorrow.

Colter Bostick took the loss for Powell on the hill. Bostick threw five innings, allowing 14 hits and nine earned runs. He struck out three and walked just one as the Pilots didn't always strike the ball hard, but were able to find gaps in the defense to earn their base hits. Cragoe came on in relief and threw the final inning.

Dark skies are moving in and I'm going to speculate the afternoon session gets delayed at some point. That could cause havoc with Pioneer fans trying to determine when the team plays next, not to mention a scheduled 7 p.m. opening ceremony. If Olympia wins tonight, Powell will play at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow night. If tournament host Gallatin Valley wins, Powell will take the diamond at 12:30 p.m., just like today.

3:15 p.m. -- At the risk of making the understatement of the year, the start of the 2010 Northwest Region tournament did not go according to script for the Powell Pioneers as the team fell 15-1 in just seven innings to Ashland, Ore.

Powell was never able to get its offense going. The Pioneers stranded a leadoff double in the fourth inning, a leadoff triple in the fifth inning and had baserunners caught in rundowns in the third and sixth. During its final at-bat, Powell loaded the bases with nobody out and managed just one run, that coming via wild pitch.

The Pioneers will face the loser of tonight's Olympia, Wash.,-Gallatin Valley, Mont. Even though the tournament is being held at the home of the Bozeman Spikes, Gallatin Valley is technically the host team. The Pioneers are still capable of winning the tournament as this is a true double elimination bracket. It will just take a five-game winning streak.

1:35 p.m. -- The Pioneers trail 2-0 after two innings.

12:25 p.m. -- We're behind schedule already as Blacksmith Fork toppled Laurel by a 15-6 final score. The Utah champs broke it open with eight consecutive runs late to break open a 7-5 contest. Now the Pioneers get their chance to uphold the honor of the '09 returnees. First pitch in 15-20 min.

Friday, Aug. 6, 10:30 a.m. -- The Sports Guy is live at Heroes Park in Bozeman, Mont., with the beautiful Bridger Mountains framed behind the center field fence. Blacksmith Fork, Utah, and 2009 regional runner-up Laurel, Mont., are locked in a battle as I type, with Utah in the lead, 3-1.

Just to get you acquainted with the stadium, it's a fairly cookie-cutter shape. It'll be 325 feet down both lines to take one out of the park. To straight center field it'll take 400 feet worth of muscle. The center field fence between the power alleys also climbs about four feet higher than it is in left and right field. If we get the standard afternoon breeze blowing up the valley, the stadium configuration will probably help the Pioneers' left-handers in pulling the ball over the fence, so good news for Grant Geiser and Colter Bostick.

First pitch will take place in about two hours. See you back here then.