Knights seek conference championship

Returning from a tournament in Jackson over the weekend, the Green River Knights seek to become conference champs tonight in a double-header against Riverton.

Head coach Stub Hatfield said the team played great baseball while in Jackson, winning three of their five games. However, he said the team struggled in their early morning games against teams Hatfield believed the Knights capable of beating. Overall however, Hatfield said the team has improved since the Knights Invite tournament last month.

During their first game of the tournament last Thursday, Green River walked away with a convincing win over Logan, Utah 10-2, making 12 hits against them. Hatfield said the Utah team is good and later beat the Miles City, Mont. team that would hand the Knights one of their losses.

Their second game, competing against a team from Rigby, Idaho also resulted in a dominating win for the Knights, winning the game 11-5 with the Knights making nine hits against the team. The third game, against the Billings, Mont. Halos, would see the Knights’ fortune change however.

The Billings, Mont team secured a win over Green River in a close 8-6 ballgame. Hatfield said the team’s hitting was off that day, with the Knights only securing seven hits. Hatfield believes the loss came during the second inning, which would result in two walks, a third batter being struck by a pitch and four hits made against the Knights.

The Knights would return to their winning ways in their match-up against Blackfoot, Idaho, beating them 15-7.

“We had them bad,” Hatfield said with a smile.

The Knights scored 12 hits on their opponents while limiting them to only 5. The victory also emphasized Hatfield’s approach to coaching American Legion Baseball.

“All the years I’ve coached American Legion, we’ve almost always out hit the other team,” he said.

Hatfield said losses can come from a variety of issues, but he believes strong hitting can cover for other weaknesses a team may have.

A match between Miles City, Mont. and Green River ended prematurely, with Green River taking a loss, however it gained the team an opportunity to play in a large tournament in Montana next year. Hatfield believes the experience would be good for his players. 

To secure the conference title, the Knights need to win only one of their two games against Riverton. Following tonight’s home games, which take place at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., the team will travel to a tournament in Douglas where their first opponent will again be Riverton.