Cheyenne Sixers Reach ‘AA’ State Baseball Title Game [VIDEOS, PHOTOS]

The four-time defending state champion Cheyenne Sixers beat the Gillette Roughriders, 14-4, in the winner's bracket semifinal on Wednesday night in Casper at Mike Lansing Field. Cheyenne has qualified for Friday's state championship game. Two more teams, the Cheyenne Hawks and Laramie Rangers, survived elimination games to reach Day 4 on Thursday.

The Sixers scored three runs in the first inning and added two more in the second for a 5-1 lead. It was 6-1 when Cheyenne exploded for eight runs in the fifth inning. Despite giving up three runs to Gillette in the bottom of the fifth, the Sixers closed out the game in five innings. Kaed Coates had three hits and drove in one run. Nolan Horton and Caden Westby added two hits and two RBIs apiece. Corey Williams had two hits, including a two-run triple, and drove in three runs. Dominic Hecker had two hits and one RBI in the loss for the Riders.

After the victory, WyoPreps spoke with Nolan Horton about the win over Gillette, his hot bat at the state tournament, and more.

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In loser-out games on Wednesday, the Cheyenne Hawks built an 8-1 lead through the first three innings and held off the Sheridan Troopers. The final score was 8-4. Mason Maggard had two hits and two RBIs, while Ayden Frogge added two hits and drove in one run. Frank Maestri hit a solo home run for the Troopers, who were eliminated.

The Laramie Rangers knocked out the host Casper Oilers, 4-2. Casper scored two runs in the first inning, but Laramie pitching retired the last 19 batters in a row. Brandon Chavez went 6.2 innings and got the win. He also had the game-tying two-RBI double in a four-run sixth inning for the Rangers. The go-ahead run scored on a wild pitch. Laramie added insurance on a Kaige Schriner RBI single.

Day 4 has Laramie facing Gillette in an elimination game at 1 p.m. The Sixers will face the Hawks at 4 p.m. Thanks to a 3-0 record, the Sixers have already qualified for Friday's state championship game.