BFHS Head Baseball Coach
The Bonners Ferry Badger baseball program claimed its fifth District Championship and are headed back to the Idaho 3A State tournament next week in Ontario, Oregon.
Game 1 – Priest River 2, Bonners Ferry 3
With sophomore Brady Bateman hitting a lead-off single to start the bottom of the seventh inning, Badger senior Caleb Gering hit a two out blooper behind the second baseman to score Bateman for the walk off win in the semifinal game against the Spartans.
Bonners
Ferry started the scoring off in the first
inning when Bateman hit a double off the left
field fence and Jesse Dunham walked. Bateman
later scored on Gering’s RBI single to center
and Dunham scored on a RBI single from Caleb
Blackmore.Priest River tied the game in the top of the fourth inning after a hit batter reached and a single from the nine hitter. Bonners Ferry committed two errors on the next batter, which scored a run and a sacrifice fly added another. Priest River threatened the entire game leaving 15 runners on base. With no outs in the fifth inning, the Spartans had a runner on second and third. Relief pitcher Brady Bateman came in to record a strike out but then walked the next batter to load the bases. He then got a second strike out and the next batter grounded out to the second baseman to record the final out in the inning with no runs being scored.
Priest River again threatened in the top of the seventh getting the first two batters on with back to back singles. But, the Badgers were able to get out of the inning again after the next batter struck out and the following two batters recorded outs.
With the lead-off batter Bateman reaching on a single to start the bottom of the seventh inning, Vince Bennett advanced him to second with a ground out to the first baseman. Dunham popped out to the first baseman to record the second out and then on a full count, two out pitch from the Spartan pitcher, Gering hit the game winning single to score Bateman.
Priest River 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 7 1
Bonners Ferry 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 7 4
Badger hits: Brady Bateman – 2 (2B), Gering – 3, Blackmore, Chris Sabin
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – Timberlake 2, Bonners Ferry 9
The Bonners Ferry Badger baseball team won its fifth District title in school history Tuesday, beating the Timberlake Tigers 9-2 in Bonners Ferry.
IML League MVP and Badger Vince Bennett pitched a complete game four hitter recording 4 strike outs and walking one in the 9 – 2 win. The win improves his record to 8 – 0 on the season.
The Tigers started the scoring off in the top of the first inning when lead-off hitter Derek Galloway hit a single to left. He later scored on a sacrifice fly from Jarrett Plunkett. The Badgers responded in their half of the first scoring two runs on one hit and two Timberlake errors.
Bonners Ferry added a run in the bottom of the second inning after Kaleb Stockton reached base on a walk and later scored on a RBI ground out from Brady Bateman. The Badgers added two runs in the fourth inning to make the score 5 – 1 when Brady Bateman hit a triple to right field scoring Chris Sabin who had reached earlier on a single to left. As Bateman was attempting to reach third the ball sailed over the third baseman and out of bounds allowing him to score. The Badgers added a lone run in the bottom of the fifth inning after Gering reached on an error and later scored on a wild pitch to make the score 6 – 1. Timberlake added a run in the top of the sixth inning when Seth Villanpondo reached on a single and later scored on a RBI ground out.
Bonners Ferry came up with three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Raul Rodriguez, Chris Sabin and Brady Bateman all walked to load the bases with none out. After a wild pitch scored Rodriguez, Bennett hit a sacrifice fly to left center to score Sabin. Bateman later scored on another wild pitch to make the final score 9 – 2.
Timberlake 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 5
Bonners Ferry 2 1 0 2 1 3 x 9 3 1
Badger hits: Brady Bateman – 3B, Bennett, Chris Sabin
Bonners Ferry will play the South Fremont Cougars from District VI at noon (PST) at the 3A State Tournament in Ontario, Oregon on Thursday, May 19.
