Sheridan pulls away early; Cheyenne’s late rallies fall short
Sheridan claimed the Wyoming Legion Baseball Division One state championship by defeating Cheyenne Post 6, 8-1, in a game that turned decisively during the middle innings. Though the Jets struck first, the Cheyenne Sixers answered quickly and then took control behind timely hitting and manufacturing runs over an inning-and-a-half stretch.
"The Jets scored first, but it was all Sixers after that, 8-1 for the State Championship."
The scoreboard framed the arc of the contest. Sheridan opened the scoring with an RBI single by Ty Hammerstrom in the top of the second that plated Zach Kintzi. Cheyenne responded immediately in the bottom of the second with a string of plays that put them ahead 3-1: Demitri Cotton grounded out to shortstop but produced a run, Brodin Robbins followed with an RBI single, and Quentin King delivered a sacrifice fly to right that pushed the advantage further.
What began as a see-saw exchange tilted in Cheyenne’s favor by the third inning when Braden Pearson crossed on a sacrifice bunt and an error allowed another run to score. The Sixers rode that momentum into the fourth inning, when Mason Maggard’s RBI single and Pearson’s two-RBI triple extended the lead to 8-1. Sheridan’s offense was then stifled by a string of strikeouts: Blake Ligocki notched several punchouts across the middle innings and closed the game, while Sheridan’s Zach Hall recorded multiple strikeouts early.
Key moments and contributors
- Early spark: Ty Hammerstrom’s RBI single gave Sheridan an early 1-0 lead.
- Cheyenne response: Demitri Cotton, Brodin Robbins and Quentin King produced the second-inning offense that flipped the game.
- Blowout frame: The fourth inning was decisive — Mason Maggard and Braden Pearson drove in three runs to build the margin Cheyenne held to the finish.
- Relief and closing: Blake Ligocki recorded multiple strikeouts down the stretch for Sheridan to halt Cheyenne’s comeback attempts.
The play-by-play captures the steady accumulation of pressure by Cheyenne through small-ball and opportunistic hitting, contrasted with Sheridan’s ability to get key outs when it mattered. The Jets’ defense and whiffs around the fifth and sixth innings limited extra opportunities for the Sixers.
Box-like summary
| Team | R |
|---|---|
| Sheridan Jets | 1 |
| Cheyenne Post 6 (Sixers) | 8 |
Notable sequences from the available game log:
- Top 1: Zach Hall struck out Will Dominguez and Mickey Gillis.
- Top 2: Hammerstrom’s RBI single put Sheridan on the board (Zach Kintzi scored).
- Bottom 2: Cotton’s groundout, Robbins’ RBI single and King’s sacrifice fly produced three runs for Cheyenne.
- Bottom 4: Maggard’s RBI single and Pearson’s two-RBI triple extended Cheyenne’s lead to 8-1.
- Late innings: Ligocki struck out multiple batters (including Hauf and Robbins) and closed the game in the seventh.
For Cheyenne fans, the final lines will sting: a strong middle-game surge built a lead, but Sheridan’s pitching and late-inning defense limited further scoring and sealed the outcome. The score sequence underscores how quickly momentum can change in youth and amateur baseball — a single extra-base hit or defensive miscue can swing a contest played at this level.
These state finals are a marker for the programs and the players involved. For Cheyenne Post 6, this season offered flashes — timely bunts, productive at-bats from the middle of the lineup and situational plays that pressured the opposing defense. Sheridan, meanwhile, converted the few opportunities it created and leaned on strikeout pitching to finish the work.
Local supporters who followed the game will remember particular plays and players: the early strikeouts from Hall, the string of second-inning runs by Cheyenne, Maggard’s RBI, Pearson’s triple and Ligocki’s closing strikeouts. Those moments, more than the final total, will sit in summer conversations — the small tells of a long season finally narrowed to one night.
The Wyoming Legion Division One final offered a clear result on the scoresheet. For teams across Laramie County and the state, the offseason work begins now.
