Royals split non-conference game, drops 2 against Twin Falls Senators

The Mountain Home Royals picked up one win in four tries last week in American Legion baseball.

Royals 15, Twin Falls 3

Royals 0, Twin Falls 10

The Mountain Home Royals came away with a split of the Twin Falls Cowboys in a non-conference American Legion baseball doubleheader in Twin Falls, winning the first game, 15-3, but dropping the nightcap, 0-10.

A nine-run first inning sparked the Royals in the the first game as they went on to claim a win in six innings.

Riley Woodland, Cody Simpson and Curran Price each had three hits for the Royals in the first game. Woodland had a triple and drove in six runs, scoring twice. Simpson also tripled and drove in three runs while Price had an RBI and scored four runs.

Bailey Miller-Hodge, Kyle Acarregui and Jordan Lenz also had hits. Miller-Hodge scored two runs, and Acarregui had a double and two RBIs. Cody Blakemore had four RBIs and scored twice while Sklyer Knudson also scored two runs.

Blakemore went the distance for the win, scattering five hits and striking out five.

Mountain Home managed just four hits in the nightcap, which was scoreless until Twin Falls plated seven runs in the third. They added three more in the fifth to end the game by the 10-run rule.

Cody Simpson, Bailey Miller-Hodge, Cody Blakemore and Riley Woodland all had hits for the Royals in the nightcap with Simpson hitting a double. Woodland suffered the loss, although he allowed just one earned run in three innings of work. Kole Filipovich finished the game for the Royals.

Seminoles 9, Royals 4

Seminoles 16, Royals 2

The Royals traveled to Wigle Field at Borah High School in Boise on Saturday and dropped a doubleheader to the Boise Senators, losing the first game, 9-4, and dropping the second game, 16-2.

Royals manager and head coach Michael Hobgood said his young team is continuing to struggle but is making improvements.

"We were right there in the first game," the coach said. "We came out and battled early and really put ourselves in the driver's seat. Bailey (Miller-Hodge) just got tired on the mound, and we allowed a few extra runs and weren't able to respond.

The second game was another one of those games where the team just had a bad inning that did them in, the coach added.

"Overall, I think we're getting better," Hobgood said. "We're still making a lot of freshman and sophomore mistakes, which makes sense, because that's the majority of our team. But we're seeing less and less of them (mistakes) as we go. Our comfort level is increasing, and with the exception of a few games, we've been right in all of them. I'm excited to see where this team can go."

The Royals have a horrendous schedule this week, playing nine games with five away and four at home. They played a single game at Timberline on Monday against the Boise Gems. Wednesday, they head to Mountain View for a doubleheader.

They are home against Twin Falls on Thursday, June 25, with the first game starting at 5 p.m. Friday, they travel to Centennial for a doubleheader against the Cannons before they have an evening doubleheader Saturday at home against Lewiston, with the first game starting at 6 p.m.