Badgers lose IML opener to Spartans

The Badger baseball team dropped its IML season opener to the Priest River Spartans 6-3 Tuesday, April 9.

Freshman Vince Bennett took the loss for the Badgers as their record went to 5-6 on the season.

Priest River started the scoring in the first inning when the Badgers committed two errors in the inning and the Spartans capitalized scoring two runs.

They added another run to go up 3 – 0 in the third inning when Dalton Sommers led off with a single and later scored on a fielder’s choice.

In the top of the fifth inning, Priest River added two more runs to go up 5 – 0 when Jake Perkins hit a two run single to score RC Akre and Sommers.

The Badgers finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fifth when Garrett Skeen lead off with his second hit of the night. Connor Bennett then walked and Shay Garcia hit a RBI single to score Skeen.

Bennett scored on a fielder’s choice from Matt Gray.

Priest River added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Cody Edwards reached on an error and later scored.

Bonners Ferry scored a final run in its half of the sixth inning after Cade Umphenhour was hit by a pitch and scored on a Spartan error.

Freshman Vince Bennett pitched 5 2/3 effective innings for the Badgers striking out eight and walking only one.

Skeen went two for four in the game. The Badgers left 11 runners on base.