Senior center fielder Lawson Oliphant provided a big boost to the Breckenridge lineup with his bat and glove in 2026 | Photo by Carol Colby
The fifth-seeded Breckenridge Cowboys held on Monday in a 3-0 win over the sixth-seeded Benson Braves, advancing them to the Section 6A Tournament nightcap against second-seeded Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.
That’s where the road ended, as the Jaguars scored three runs in the sixth inning to win 4-2 and eliminate the Cowboys.
Jaxson Riggs was electric on the bump against Benson, striking out 11 in a complete game. The righty fired 73 of 115 pitches in the zone, allowing four hits and three walks in the shutout.
Riggs closes his senior season on the mound with a 7-1 record. Using a premium fastball, and stellar control down the stretch, the staff ace recorded a 2.00 ERA and 56 strikeouts across 45 1/3 innings.
Connor Ernst, Cooper Roberts and Riggs each drove in a run against Benson. Jaxson Lopez, Gabe Armitage and Gavin Hoffert all scored once as Breckenridge moved to 3-1 in the tournament
Four Cowboys were hit-by-pitch in the low-scoring affair, as both teams tallied four hits.
Breckenridge was headed to an upset of Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa in Monday night’s elimination round, leading 2-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth. The Jaguars plated three runners and held off the Cowboys to reach the section semifinals.
Charlie Kratcha pitched well for the Cowboys, scattering five hits and three walks across 5 ⅓ innings. The senior righty struck out five batters and allowed four earned runs.
Kratcha closed the book on his return to baseball with a dependable senior year on the bump, ending with a 5-3 record and one save. With a signature three-quarter arm slot that added movement to his pitches, Kratcha posted a 4.20 ERA and 36 strikeouts across 40 innings.
Armitage led the offense in the season finale, slashing 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Tucker Snyder and Lopez scored one run apiece.
Breckenridge ends the season with a 16-9 record, its winningest season since 2019, when they went 18-7. The Cowboys finished fourth in the section, and tallied a .296 team batting average with 44 extra-base hits.
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Roberts took the batting title with a .375 avg.
Roberts scored a team-high 31 runs.
Roberts/Riggs had a team-high 26 RBIs.
Lopez batted .372 with 5 extra-base hits
Lopez was 12/12 on stolen base attempts
Armitage posted a team-high .506 on-base percentage
Armitage led the team with 10 hit-by-pitch
Armitage was 14/14 on stolen base attempts
Ernst batted .321 with a hr, 21 RBIs, 22 runs
Lawson Oliphant hit .321 with 26 RBIs, 20 runs
Kratcha hit .262 with 20 RBIs, 18 runs, 11 steals
Riggs posted a team-best 1.21 WHIP
Quenten Lugert posted a team-high .972 fielding percentage
