Alec Heitzman swings at a pitch during earlier action against Jackson.
The Green River Knights had a successful weekend at a wood bat tournament in Riverton.
The Knights defeated three teams across four games, beating the Douglas Cats twice before going on to defeat host Riverton to win the tournament. Assistant coach Brad Hatfield said the team is coming together.
"They played good baseball the whole weekend," Hatfield said.
The Knights gave Douglas a severe drubbing during their first matchup last Thursday, soaring over the Cats 15-6. The Knights continued to shine in a second game against the Torrington Tigers, winning 9-6.
However, the second meeting between the Knights and the Cats Saturday would prove to be a more difficult affair for Green River. Hatfield said the more Douglas players arrived before the second game as they competed in another tournament.
The new players, along with experience from their first matchup resulted in Douglas holding Green River to six runs in the game. While Douglas was able to hold Green River to less than half the runs they scored in their first game, the Green River Knights' defense also worked hard, keeping the Cats to only three runs.
The defensive battle could carry on to the championship game with the Riverton Raiders Saturday.
Hatfield said the team struggled with hitting throughout the game, saying the tournament was the first wood bat tourney the team participated in this year.
Wood bats, he said, can be more difficult to get good hits off of compared to a metal bat. A metal bat can be more forgiving for batters as even a hit that doesn't perfectly connect with the bat can still get sent flying. Hatfield said wooden bats require a perfect hit on the ball. Swings that would result in a good hit with a metal bat behave much differently, resulting in a pop fly or ground ball.
Defensive play between the two teams resulted in a 6-4 win for the Knights. Hatfield said the play that helped seal Green River's victory was a diving catch in center field by Isaiah Munoz during the sixth inning.
Hatfield said the team is gearing up for the 17th annual Green River Knights Invitational Tournament June 19-21. The tournament will feature 10 teams playing 30 games throughout the weekend. The tournament is also a wood bat tournament and Hatfield said the team will work to improve their batting prior to the tournament.
While the team continues to work on batting, they've also continued their winning ways during a double-header in Vernal, Utah Monday. The Knights defeated Vernal 5-3 in the first game and 17-13 in their second match.
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