Royals win just one during non-league doubleheaders

The Mountain Home Royals managed just one win in a couple of non-league American Legion doubleheaders against two Magic Valley teams.

Cyclones 15, Royals 11

Cyclones 12, Royals 8

Big innings helped Jerome in both games as the AA Cyclones swept a doubleheader from the Mountain Home Royals Monday in Jerome.

The Cyclones jumped out to an 8-0 lead after two innings in the first game. Mountain Home cut the deficit to 9-6, but a six-run sixth by Jerome pushed its lead to 15-6. The Royals rallied for five in the top of the seventh, but fell short, 15-11.

Kody Arellano had two hits for the Royals. Teddy Reaume, Zach Petersen and Tyler McCall had hits and RBIs. McCall's hit was a triple. Levi Abrahamson had a hit and cored two runs. Curran Price and Esmer Castillo also knocked in runs.

Bailey Miller-Hodge suffered the loss.

A seven-run third inning by Jerome in the second game gave the Cyclones a commanding 11-1 lead. The Royals battled back to take it a 12-8 final.

Josh Sheffield, Curran Price and Tyler McCall each had two hits in the second game. Sheffield drove in three runs, Price two. Shae Sterling had a triple and three RBIs, and David Welle also had a hit.

Kody Arellano, the first of three Mountain Home pitchers, suffered the loss.

Despite getting swept, Mountain Home Royals head coach Michael Hobgood saw some positives to take from the games.

"We held our own against an AA team and a perennial state tournament team. We took the opportunity to put some guys in unfamiliar territory all over the field, especially the mound, and had the tying run on deck in both games.

"I was very happy with the way we fought back. Take away some walks and errors and we win, but I guess the same could be said for most losses."

Royals 11, Tribe 10

Royals 2, Buhl 15

The Royals came away with a split of their non-league doubleheader with the Buhl Tribe last Wednesday in Mountain Home, coming from behind to win the first game 11-10 in 8 innings and dropping the nightcap 15-2.

Buhl built up an 8-1 lead in the first game before the Royals erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning to go up 9-8.

The Tribe tied the game in the seventh to force extra innings and after Buhl took a 10-9 lead into the top of the eighth, the Royals struck for two to win it 11-10.

Cody Blakemore led the Royals at the plate with three hits, including a double, and drove in one run.

Levi Abrahamson had two hits including a double, an RBI and scored two runs. Kody Arellano also had two hits. Zach Petersen and Bailey Miller-Hodge, also had hits, with Petersen driving in two runs and Miller-Hodge one. Teddy Reaume and Curran Price also drove in runs, and Derek Kellogg scored two runs.

Zach Petersen, the third of three Mountain Home pitchers, secured the win.

A nine-run fifth inning for Buhl in the second game ended the 15-2 five-inning second game.

Mountain Home managed just three hits in the nightcap. Bailey Miller-Hodge had an RBI-triple in the first that scored Teddy Reaume. Shae Stlering singled in Reaume in the third, and Kyle Acarregui also had a hit for the Royals.

Teddy Reaume, the first of four Royals pitchers, suffered the loss.

"We started slow in the first game, but fought back with walks and key hits, and ended it by capping off a huge comeback with a double squeeze," said Coach Hobgood.

"In the second game, we were dead, couldn't throw strikes and couldn't get hits and it snowballed into a bad loss," the coach added. "Hopefully, we learn some lessons and bounce back."

The Royals took an 8-6 record into their Friday game with Lewiston. They were on the road to Buhl for a return doubleheader with the Tribe on Monday, host Emmett for two today (Wednesday) starting at 5 p.m., play a doubleheader against the Twin Falls Cowboys Thursday in Twin Falls starting at 4 p.m., and face the Boise Senators in a doubleheader at Borah on Saturday.