Little League teams notch first wins of season Thursday

Two South Big Horn Little League teams picked up their first wins of the season Thursday evening at the Art Schutte Sports Complex.
The bleachers were packed for much of the evening as the Bandits’ majors’ and minors’ teams hosted doubleheaders against clubs from Thermopolis.
On the minors’ side, the Kustom LLC team got the breakthrough it was looking for, rolling to a 10-4 victory.  It was their first win of the season. Jesse Reber sparked the offense with a home run.
On the bump, three Bandit pitichers kept the Thermop bats in check.
“It’s been a successful year — from the standpoint of the kids love the game and are improving,” said Michael Tanner, who manages Kustom LLC.
The improvement is most evident in the field.  “The kids are learning how to cover the field, and when they throw the ball, they’re a lot more accurate than they were early in the season,” said Tanner.
The Bandits’ other minors team, which plays under the banner of High Country Gardens and is managed by Kasielyn Peterman, was not as fortunate, losing to Thermopolis as its quest for win number one continues.
Majors
On the majors side, it was a clean sweep for the Bandits.
The Shack team, managed by Chris Dalin, routed Thermopolis 13-0 for its first win.  The team had dropped five straight to open the season.
Jesse Craft was the winning pitcher and he helped himself at the dish with a home run and two runs scored. Kru Keisel and Korbin Stewart also came around to score twice for the victors.
The Big Horn Federal team, managed by Brett Patterson, prevailed by an 11-5 score, improving to 4-3 in the process.
Brendyn DeShazer delivered on the mound, limiting Thermopolis to one run on three hits while fanning six over three innings. Jack Olmstead worked the fourth for the Bandits.
DeShazer, Olmstead and Tanner Dunlap each had two hits to fuel the offense, which finished with nine hits and drew eight free passes in the contest.