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Badger Boys take 3rd Place at
Idaho State Baseball Tournament |
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May 24, 2016 |
By Tom Turpin
Head Baseball Coach
Bonners Ferry High School
The Badger baseball team ended a phenomenal
season by taking third place in the 2016 3A
Idaho State Baseball Tournament in Fruitland,
Idaho. The third place finish gives the Badgers
a 24-3 overall record for the year including
their first ever back to back league titles and
sweep of the IML league.
GAME 1 - South Fremont 1, Bonners Ferry
11 (6 innings)
Senior Vince Bennett pitched a complete game
three hitter while striking out seven, walking
only three batters and not allowing an earned
run in the 11-1 win in six innings.
The Badgers scored in every inning with
sophomore Brady Bateman starting the game off
with a double to left center. After a one-out
walk to junior Jesse Dunham, senior Caleb Gering
reached base on an error from the second baseman
to score Bateman. Dunham later scored on a wild
pitch to make the game 2 -0 after the first
inning. Junior Kevin Gray started the second
inning off with a single to left, and later
scored on a RBI single from Bennett. The Badgers
added another run in the third inning after
Gering doubled to start the inning and later
scored on a sacrifice fly from senior Caleb
Blackmore.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Badgers added
two more runs after back to back walks to Brady
Bateman and Bennett, followed by Dunham getting
hit by pitch to load the bases. Gering then hit
a sacrifice fly to left to score Bateman and
Bennett scored on a RBI single from junior Nick
Sabin to make the score 6 – 0 after four
innings.
The South Fremont Cougars got on the board in
the top of the fifth inning after a single from
Nick Trost. He later scored on a Badger error to
narrow the lead to 6 – 1.
But the Badgers came back strong in their half
of the fifth inning scoring three runs on three
hits. With one out in the inning, Chris Sabin
reached on a walk, Brady Bateman then hit a RBI
single to score Sabin. Bennett walked and Dunham
hit a RBI single to score Bateman. Bennett later
scored on a RBI single from Blackmore to make
the score 9 – 1 after five innings.
The Badgers added two more runs in the bottom of
the sixth when junior Kaleb Stockton hit a
lead-off single and Raul Rodriguez walked with
one out. After Brady Bateman flied out to
center, Bennett came up big with a 2 run triple
to end the game.
Bateman went 2 for 4 with a double and 3 runs
scored while Bennett went 2 for 3 with a triple,
2 runs scored and 3 RBI’s. Nick Sabin and Kaleb
Stockton each picked up two hits in the game for
the Badgers.
South Fremont 0
0 0 0 1 0
1 3 1
Bonners Ferry
2 1 1 2 3 2
11 12 1
Badger hits: B. Bateman – 2 (2B), Bennett – 2
(3B), Dunham, Gering (2B), Blackmore, Nick Sabin
– 2, Kaleb Stockton – 2, Gray
GAME 2 - Bonners Ferry 2, Homedale 10 (5
innings)
The Bonners Ferry Badgers took on the Homedale
Trojans in the semifinal game for a chance at
playing in State Championship only to lose 10-2
in five innings, due to the eight run rule based
on the weather.
The Badgers started the game off scoring a run
in the first inning after Bennett hit a one out
single to left and later scored on a RBI single
from Gering. The Trojans scored three runs in
the bottom half of the first on three hits and
an error by the Badgers to make the score 3 – 1
after one inning.
Bonners Ferry added another run in the second
inning after a lead-off double from Nick Sabin
who later scored on a RBI single from Kevin
Gray. Homedale responded with a run in the
bottom of the second to maintain a 4 - 2 lead
after two innings.
In the third inning, both teams went quietly and
in the fourth inning the Homedale Trojans
extended their lead after a lead-off double that
later scored. The Badgers gave up five runs in
the bottom of the fifth inning on three hits,
three walks and an error.
Pitcher Jesse Dunham picked up his first loss of
the season while the Badger bats only managed
four hits in the game.
Bonners Ferry 1
1 0 0 0 1
5 2
Homedale
3 1 0 1 5 10
12 2
Badger hits: Bennett, Gering, Nick Sabin (2B),
Gray
(Note: all the photos below are from
Game 3 the Third Place game vs Weiser)
GAME 3 - Bonners Ferry 7, Weiser 0
With the hopes of playing for the State
Championship dashed a day earlier by the
Homedale Trojans, the Badgers regrouped to beat
the Weiser Wolverines 7 - 0 for the third place
trophy at the State Tournament.
Pitcher Vince Bennett took to the mound after
one day’s rest to pitch what could have been his
best game of the season. Bennett gave up only
two hits while striking out eight and walking
only two Wolverines in his second complete game
on the tournament.
The game was scoreless heading into the top of
the third inning when Chris Sabin started the
inning off getting hit by a pitch and reaching
first base. A Brady Bateman sacrifice bunt
advanced Sabin to second, followed by a fly out
to left from Bennett which advanced him to
third. Sabin then scored on a wild pitch to make
the score 1 – 0 Badgers.
The Wolverines managed a two out single in the
first inning while the Badgers went hitless
through the first five innings making this a
tight ballgame. In the top of the sixth inning,
Bennett broke up the no hitter by Wolverine
pitcher Christian Claudio with a single to left
center. Bennett was stranded at second to end
the inning to keep the score 1 – 0 in favor of
the Badgers.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Bennett gave
up a one-out walk to the Wolverines, but Weiser
could not get the runner to advance past second
base and the Badgers got out of trouble again.
With the lead 1 – 0 heading into the final
inning, the Badgers took advantage of a one-out
error when Seth Bateman reached first after an
errant throw to first base. Chris Sabin bunted
down the first base line to attempt to advance
Bateman when the pitcher threw the ball away
again allowing Sabin to reach first and Bateman
to advance to third. With runners on first and
third, brother Brady Bateman hit a RBI double to
left center to score Seth Bateman. Bennett came
up with another RBI double to score Sabin.
Dunham grounded out to the third baseman to
record the second out. With two outs, Gering
reached on another Wolverine error from the
third baseman allowing Brady Bateman to score.
Blackmore then hit a RBI single to score
Bennett. Nick Sabin then came up with a huge two
run double to the left field fence to score
Gering and Blackmore to make the score 7 – 0
Badgers. Weiser got their second hit of the
ballgame in the bottom of the seventh only to
strand him at third to end the game.
Bonners Ferry 0
0 1 0 0 0 6
7 5 2
Weiser
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 2 5
Badger hits: Brady Bateman (2B), Bennett – 2
(2B), Blackmore, Nick Sabin (2B)
Senior pitcher Vince Bennett won two games at
the tournament, striking out 15 batters, walking
five in 13 innings while not allowing an earned
run. He also led the team in hitting, going 5
for 9 (.556 BA) at the plate, scoring four runs
and four RBI’s with a double and triple.
The Badgers set a new standard this year by
reaching 24 wins with only 3 losses while not
losing in nearly two months. Two of the losses
came within the first seven games against
schools bigger (4A Sandpoint and 5A Coeur
d’Alene) than Bonners Ferry. The Badgers will
lose three seniors (Bennett, Gering, Blackmore)
to graduation but should be in good shape next
year to defend their League and District titles.
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