The Laramie Rangers return to the baseball diamond on Friday with a doubleheader in Douglas against the Cats.

Laramie (2-0) is coming off a sweep on the road in Wheatland on Monday. The Rangers topped the Lobos, 13-3, and 8-3.

Manager Aaron Lozano said it was good for these guys to start with a couple of wins.

“To understand that things are different this year. (There’s) lots to build on, and I think they also saw lots of guys left on base. Maybe both games could’ve been put away a little earlier. That’s something they can focus on in practice; going with the pitch in the (hitting) cage and doing all these things (to improve).”

The Rangers left 18 runners on base in the two games with 11 of them in scoring position.

Lozano also pointed to other areas his team can continue to improve in, particularly pitching and defense.

“Overall, I think our pitch counts need to get lower for everybody. We talk about having a program goal of 14 or less pitches per inning for our pitchers. That’s a good pitch count that keeps a guy in the game for seven innings if we need him, and it’s also an homage to our sponsors at (American Legion) Post 14 in Laramie.”

He added with their defense, “Having only been on the field for about four or five practices, Ryan Chamberlain and Darnale Bangert working up the middle together for the first time ever, you know, some of that stuff’s going to be a little clunky.”

Overall, Lozano was pleased with their defensive effort on opening night. He’s already pointed to having a good outfield but wants a stronger infield.

The Rangers will face a Douglas Cats team that is 3-0 on the season. Laramie was 2-1 against Douglas during the 2019 season. The twin bill starts at 5 p.m. from Nida Field.

Over the next two weeks, there are road games at Casper, a tournament in Torrington, and conference road games at Cheyenne. Laramie will make their home debut on June 16 versus the Loveland Aces.

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