Badgers baseball IML champs again

BONNERS FERRY — The Badgers wrapped up the No. 1 seed to districts with their 6-2 win over Timberlake in the opener, before the visiting Tigers handed the Intermountain League leaders their first league loss in game two.

In the first game, Bo Bateman hit a two-run triple for Bonners Ferry (12-7, 9-1 IML) to tie the game at 2 in the fourth inning, then scored the go-ahead run on an error.

Spencer Eby added a two-run triple in the fifth for the Badgers.

Alex Drake scored one run and doubled in the other for Timberlake (9-6, 7-3).

In the second game, Drake and Grant Allaway each hit two-run singles in an eight-run fifth inning for Timberlake. Both finished with three RBIs, and Allaway had three hits. Bonners Ferry pitchers walked nine batters and hit eight.

“I think Timberlake and Bonners are very competitive against each other,” Badgers coach Tom Turpin said. “We told our team that this isn’t over, we’ve still got a lot of work to do. Timberlake is well-coached, and fundamentally they do a good job.”

Blake Rice had five hits, including four doubles, on the day for Bonners Ferry.

On Tuesday, Timberlake and Bonners Ferry both hit the road and split their final IML doubleheaders — the Tigers at Kellogg, and Bonners Ferry at Priest River The Spartans won Tuesday's opener 14-13, while the Badgers bounced back for a 9-6 win in the nightcap.

District tournament play begins on Monday, with Priest River (1-17, 1-11 IML) visiting the Badgers (13-8, 10-2) and Kellogg (5-7 IML) traveling to Timberlake (10-7, 8-4). Both games begin at 4 p.m.

FIRST GAME

Timberlake 001 100 0 — 2 4 3

Bonners 000 420 x — 6 9 1

Wyatt Kitchin, Horn (5) and Caleb Knight; Teigan Banning, Elijah Dahl (7) and Bo Bateman.

HITS: TL — Drake 2, Knight, Wells. BF — B. Bateman 2, Rice 2, Newell, Banning, Dahl, Eby, Willis. 2B — Rice 2, B. Bateman, Banning, Drake. 3B — B. Bateman, Eby.

SECOND GAME

Timberlake 010 182 2 — 14 8 3

Bonners 000 013 0 — 4 6 3

Alex Drake, Caleb Robinett (7) and Caleb Knight; Spencer Eby, Elijah Dahl (4), Blake Rice (5), Porter Schulte (6) and Bo Bateman.

HITS: TL — Drake, Knight, Borges, Horn, Allaway 3, Lenz. BF — B. Bateman, Rice 3, Banning, Dahl. 2B — Rice 2, Borges, Horn, Allaway.