Knights struggle with hitting

A split double-header Monday night against Lovell highlights an ongoing struggle for the Green River Knights.

Team manager Stub Hatfield said the team continues to struggle with hitting the ball in a way that doesn’t lead to easy outs. Hatfield said popup fly balls and what he calls rollover grounders, balls hit low and roll that are easy to grab without a glove, have hindered the Knight’s ability to make runs.

While the Knights won their first game against Lovell 1-0, Lovell was able to take the second game 6-4 after a home run gave Lovell the lead in the 8th inning. Hatfield said the Knights had at least four opportunities to win the game, but came up short each time. Hatfield said the loss did sting however, as a win would have helped the team’s seeding in tournament play.

Previous action of the weekend resulted in a fifth-place finish in tournament play in Laramie. Hatfield said the Knights held their own against their first competitors from Spearfish, S.D., but after the fourth inning, the South Dakotan team’s batters warmed up and started making runs.

“They’re a good hitting team,” Hatfield said. “They’ve got three college kids on that team.”

The Knights’ game ended with a 14-1 loss.

The team’s struggles continued when playing against Laramie, which ended in a 5-4 loss for the Knights, but Knights saw success in competition against Douglas, winning their last game 9-1.

The Knights will travel to Jackson this weekend for more tournament action. The team will face East Idaho Thursday, Orem, Utah, Friday and Wasatch, Utah on Saturday.