PREP ROUNDUP: Badgers face Timberlake in league contests, looking to districts
(left) Coach Tom Turpin signs to (right) Gavin Rider to steal home against Kellogg earlier in the season.
(Photo By: EMILY BONSANT)
• BASEBALL
SPIRIT LAKE — Bonners Ferry baseball (5-18, 0-2) opened league play against the Timberlake Tigers (10-8-1, 2-0) in a double header on Friday, April 26.
The game was scoreless in Game 1 until the fifth, when the Tigers scored the lone run for the game.
For the Tigers, Caden Robinett struck out eight and Huston went 2-fo- 3 and scored the lone run on an RBI single by Gage Hianes in a 1-0 win in the opener.
In Game 2, Bonners led 2-0 in the first inning, but Timberlake went on to score six runs in the second, nabbing a four run lead. The third and fourth innings were scoreless. The Badgers nibbled at the Tigers heels in the fifth, but ultimately fell 8-3 in the nightcap at newly dedicated John Shaffer Field on Friday.
“Caden was lights out today on the mound, and Carson [Huston] was as well at the plate and defensively,” Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson said. “Carson really kept us in things in both games and he’s the reason we won the first game by scoring our only run. He’s been a big part of things the last few years, and just really had a day today.”
Timberlake and Bonners Ferry are the only two teams in the 3A Intermountain League. With the sweep, Timberlake will host all three of the district tournament games.
“Both (Bonners Ferry coach) Tom (Turpin) and I knew that the first game was going to be low scoring, and we’d have to find a way to win in different ways,” Johnson said. “We battled some nerves in the first game, but once it was over, we carried it over in the second game.”
Timberlake (10-8-1) and Bonners Ferry (5-18) will meet again in a single game next Friday to conclude the regular season.
On Thursday, the school dedicated the school’s field to John Shaffer, who started the Timberlake Little League program.
“We’ve been trying to get this going for the past year,” Johnson said. “He dedicated a lot of time and energy into this program, and is one of the reasons we’re all here. So it was fitting to name it after him.”
Game 1
Bonners Ferry 000 000 0 — 0 1 0
Timberlake 000 010 x — 1 5 2
Trey Bateman and unknown; Caden Robinett and Nate Beardsall.
HITS: BF — Woods. TL — Lenz, Allaway, Huston 2, Haines. 2B — Woods.
Game 2
Bonners Ferry 200 010 0 — 3 7 0
Timberlake 060 002 x — 8 11 2
Jack Woods, Thomas Bateman (2), Gavin Rider (5), Brody Rice (6) and Keenan Maas; Grant Allaway, Riley Brennan (7) and Zach Blansfield.
HITS: BF — Th. Bateman, Fess, Rider, Tr. Bateman, Rice, Liermann, Turner. TL — Lenz, Allaway 2, Robinett, Moore, Blansfield 2, Huston 2, Beardsall, Haines. 2B — Blansfield, Beardsall. 3B — Lenz.
The Badges are next up to bat on Saturday, May 3 at home for Senior Night against Timberlake at 4 p.m.
• SOFTBALL
Timberlake 9
Bonners Ferry 5
SPIRIT LAKE — Senior Taylor Sumpter struck out 11 in the circle, Kyra Sumpter and Ava Frederickson went three-for-four at the plate for Bonners Ferry in an Intermountain League loss against the Timberlake Tigers.
Jodi Curtis slapped a triple for the Badgers, keeping up the tempo.
Bonners led 3-0 in the third, and 3-2 in the fifth, but Timberlake answered, scoring seven runs in the sixth and sealing a league opener victory.
Senior Casey Whaley struck out nine in the circle, then hit a three-run go-ahead home run in the bottom of the sixth inning for the Tigers.
"We had a tough time getting going today," said Timberlake coach Casi Lupinacci. "Luckily, we got our bats figured out when we needed to. Casey sparked us at the perfect time, and we were able to put a nice run together."
Senior Logan Walsh followed later in the sixth with a two-run home run for Timberlake (11-7).
"Logan had a great day, both behind the plate and at bat," Lupinacci said. "I was just proud of how our kids continued to fight, even when it seemed like nothing was going to go our way."
Bonners Ferry is 4-12.
Bonners Ferry head coach Cynthia Sumpter said the Badgers won more innings than Timberlake and if it hadn’t been for the two over-the-fence home runs with players on base in the sixth, Bonners would have won.
“Timberlake came to the game, thinking things were going to be the same as in the past with them winning, but this year we are confident,” she said. “We just need to win the next two games to hold districts at home.”
“All the games prior were all about playing and learning the aspects of the game, which has been the biggest issue for our girls,” she said. “Our focus has been baserunning and hitting, we were already good in the field.”
She said having Timberlake scared is a motivator and the team is ready to face the Tigers in a double header on Friday, May 3 at Bonners Ferry for senior night at 4 p.m.
The Badgers were busy last week facing Eureka, falling 11-7, Thompson Falls, falling 14-2 and playing Post Falls JV.
Sumpter said playing Eureka was a great experience and showed the team’s improvement throughout the season, noting Eureka is ranked no. 11 in Montana.
At Thompson Falls the Badgers showed up and played tough, she said. Taylor Sumpter pitched most of last week and consistently is striking out six each game.
Sumpter counted the Post Falls game as a JV game, since most of the Badger JVC competed and held their own.
“Our varsity should be playing their varsity, even if they are 5A,” she said. “We are that good.”
Bonners Ferry 120 000 2 — 5 9 1
Timberlake 010 107 x — 9 6 4
Taylor Sumpter and Ava Frederickson; Casey Whaley and Logan Walsh.
HITS: BF — Curtis, A. Frederickson 2, K. Sumpter 2, T. Sumpter 2, Schmeir 1, S. Frederickson. TL — Dykes, Kitchin 2, Walsh 2, Whaley. 2B — Kitchin, Dykes, Walsh. 3B — Curtis. HR — Walsh, Whaley.
GOLF
TWIN LAKES — Avery Bayer shot 81 to lead a 1-2-3 finish for Bonners Ferry and the Badgers won the team title at an “Intermountain League and Friends” match Monday at Twin Lakes Village Golf Club.
Also for Bonners, Braylyn Bayer was second with 84 and Nolie Hiatt was third with 98.
Byron Hammett shot a 10-over-par 82 for medalist honors and led Genesis Prep to the boys team title Genesis Prep had the top three finishers as Brady Rubert shot 84, Gabe Missamore 85.
The Badger boys finished in second with Tyson Tadlock leading Bonners with 90.
Timberlake and Bonners Ferry will compete in the 3A District 1 tournament next Monday at Twin Lakes Village, which doubles as the state championship course.
BOYS
TEAM SCORES —1, Genesis Prep 344. 2, Bonners Ferry 379. 3, Timberlake 450.
MEDALIST — Byron Hammett, Genesis Prep, 82.
GENESIS PREP — Byron Hammett 82, Brady Rubert 84, Gabe Missamore 85, Isaiah Bateman 93, Emmaus Martin 104.
BONNERS FERRY — Eli Blackmore 92, Chago Jimenez 97, Payton Hinthorn 101, Jacob Bliss 100, Tyson Tadlock 90.
TIMBERLAKE — Payden DeVore 97, Harry Hunter 109, Caden Bates 126, Tyler Sells 118.
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES — 1, Bonners Ferry 382. 2, Timberlake 479. 3, Genesis Prep 486.
MEDALIST — Avery Bayer, Bonners Ferry, 81.
BONNERS FERRY — Braylyn Bayer 84, Avery Bayer 81, Nolie Hiatt 98, Callie Bateman 121, Sydney Hinthorn 119.
TIMBERLAKE — Malia Miller 111, Kirstyn Edelblute 122, Addison Hunter 134, Ashley Wilson 121, Maddiey Longo 125.
GENESIS PREP — Chiara Lehman 99, Hailey Sorenson 124, Jada DeBoer 132, Olivia Lake 131, Lorelai Herring 135.
BF JV: Makeen Loretto, 111. Chase Licea 143. Callie Bateman 121. Lilly Bremer and Sadie Newhouse, no score posted.