Baseball team places third at state

Wilson wins 2 games for the Badgers

The Bonners Ferry Badger Baseball team took their first ever third place finish in the Idaho 3A State tournament last week in Ontario, Ore. 

The team went 2–1 in the tournament and was one out away from playing in the state championship game against the powerhouse Fruitland Grizzlies.  Fruitland won the state title by burying Payette 16–0 in five innings.

Game 1  Buhl – 6,  Bonners Ferry – 12

The Badgers knocked off the defending state champion Buhl Indians in their first game of the tournament.  Buhl scored single runs in the first two innings to take a brief 2–0 lead before the Badgers tied it up in the third inning.  Alek Lopez started the inning off with a walk and Brian Moore singled.  Pitcher Austin Wilson hit a two run double to score Lopez and Moore.

In the bottom of the fourth, Bonners Ferry added four more runs to take a 6–2 lead when Sean Conlin singled, Jesse Woods walked and Josiah Owinyo singled to score Conlin.  Lopez hit a two run triple and later scored on a passed ball.

In the top of the fifth inning, Buhl responded with four runs in to tie the game 6–6 .  But the Badgers exploded with six more runs in the bottom half of the fifth to take a 12–6 and Alex Awbrey.  Owinyo added a two run single.

Wilson pitched a complete game for the Badgers striking out 10 Buhl Indians.  Moore, Wilson, and Owinyo each had two hits.

Game 2  Bonners Ferry - 8, Payette – 9 (8 innings)

The Bonners Ferry Badgers were one out from reaching their very first trip to the State Championship but ended falling short to the Payette Pirates 9–8 in eight innings.

The Badgers started the scoring off in the first inning when Dan Mayzel singled and later scored on Alex Awbrey’s single to left.  Payette took a brief 2–1 lead in the bottom of the third when they scored two runs off two hits but the Badgers came back in the top of the fourth with four runs to retake the lead 5–2. 

Sean Conlin and Jesse Woods started the inning off with back to back walks.  Lance Abeyta dropped down a beautiful sacrifice bunt to advance the runners.  Then, Josiah Owinyo drove both in with a two run single to right.  After Alek Lopez walked, Dan Mayzel hit a two run double to score Owinyo and Lopez. 

Payette scored two more runs in their half of the fifth to narrow the Badger lead 5–4.  Badger pitcher Dan Mayzel walked the first two batters as they scored on only one hit.

The Badgers added two more runs in the top of the 6th inning after Owinyo and Moore walked and later scored on a hit from Austin Wilson.  With the Badgers leading 7–4 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Payette scored three runs on two hits.  Relief pitcher Brian Moore struck out the final two batters to end the inning and send the game into extra innings.

Bonners Ferry pushed a run across in the top of the eight inning to take the lead 8–7 when Lopez walked and later scored on a Payette error.  Moore walked the first batter of the inning and the next batter reached on a Badger error.  The next batter attempted to bunt the ball to advance the runners only to pop the ball up to the pitcher for the first out.  After Moore struck the next batter and the Badger down to one out from reaching their first trip to the Championship game, Payette’s starting pitcher Brennan Serrano hit a line drive to left field to score both runners and win the game.

Moore took the loss for the Badgers while Dan Mayzel had two hits.

Game 3  Bonners Ferry – 15,  Kimberly – 5   Third place game

After a deflating loss to Payette holding on to a 7–4 lead going into the seventh inning and losing the lead only to regain the lead in the eight and lose, the Bonners Ferry Badgers baseball team took on the Kimberly Bulldogs for a third place finish in the 2011 3A State tournament.  The Kimberly Bulldogs were 20-3 coming into the state tournament.

The Badgers came out in the top of the first inning banging the ball around with three runs on four hits.  Alek Lopez started the game with a single to left field followed by a single to right field from Dan Mayzel.

Brian Moore hit into a fielders choice when he hit a ball to third and Lopez broke for home.  The third baseman threw to the catcher to nail Lopez at the plate.  Austin Wilson later hit a RBI single to score Mayzel and Moore and Sean Conlin hit a RBI single to score Wilson.  Kimberly scored three runs in the bottom of the first after loading the bases.  With two outs, the next batter struck out with catcher Lopez dropping the ball.  Rather than stepping on home plate to end the inning, Lopez overthrew first base and all three runners scored on the error to tie the game.

The Badgers added a run in the top of the second inning to take the lead 4–3 after Josiah Owinyo reached on one of the Kimberly’s eight errors in the game. 

Owinyo later scored on a RBI double from Moore.  Bonners Ferry added another three runs in the third when Awbrey reached on an error, Conlin singled and scored on an error from the centerfielder after Jesse Woods hot a ball up the middle.  The Badgers added two more runs in the sixth inning when Wilson walked and Awbrey hit a RBI double to score Wilson.  Awbrey later scored on an error.  Kimberly responded with two runs in the bottom of the 6th to cut the lead 9–5.

But Bonners Ferry would not be denied their first third place finish as they exploded for six more runs to take a 15–5 lead in the seventh inning.  After Lance Abeyta walked and Garrett Skeen reach on yet another error, Lopez was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Mayzel reached on an error and Moore hit a scorcher down the left field line to score two runs.  Wilson then hit and single to score a run and Awbrey blast a two run triple.

Wilson pitched six strong innings after only one days rest striking out 11 batters while giving up on five hits.  Sean Conlin came on in relief in the seventh inning to finish the game on the mound.

Austin Wilson won both games for the Badgers at the tournament recording 21 strikeouts in 13 innings while going four for 11 at the plate.  Seniors Moore and Mayzel both went five for 13 at the plate with Moore hitting two doubles in the tournament.  Junior Alex Awbrey went four for 14 and Owinyo went three for seven at the plate.

The Badgers finished the season 12-14.  Last year, Bonners Ferry only recorded five wins and never even got to the District tournament.