Baseball: Bonners Ferry finished season, Timberlake off to state
JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Timberlake first baseman Caden Robinett clutches the throw from third base for the final out as Keenan Maas of Bonners Ferry slides into first in Game 2 of the best-of-3 3A District 1 baseball playoffs Thursday in Spirit Lake.
SPIRIT LAKE — The Timberlake Tigers didn’t waste any time wrapping up their second straight 3A District 1 baseball title on Thursday.
The top-seeded Tigers scored six runs in the first inning, and went on to beat the Bonners Ferry Badgers 14-2 at John Shaffer Field to sweep their best-of-3 series for the district title.
“I haven't seen this offensive show from us this year,” Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson said. “We came out swinging it.”
Senior Grant Allaway struck out eight and drove in four runs for Timberlake (12-9-1), which advances to state May 16-18 at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa.
He did not allow a hit in the five-inning game, but walked seven and hit one. The Tigers committed two errors.
Bonners Ferry loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, but Allaway got out of it with a strikeout and a double play.
“He’s just a senior — been there, done that, he just had to make adjustments out there,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t pretty, but at this point of the season it doesn’t need to be pretty.”
Allaway hit a two-run double in the first inning and a two-run single in the third. Caden Robinett, who pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts in Game 1 on Wednesday, added an RBI single in the first. Cooper Lenz capped the inning with a two-run single.
Zach Blansfield had RBI singles in the second and third innings for Timberlake, and Robinett singled in the game’s final run in the fourth.
Lenz finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Timberlake was sixth in the 3A MaxPreps rankings, used to seed the state tournament, on Thursday.
Bonners Ferry finished 4-20.
Bonners Ferry 002 00 — 2 0 3
Timberlake 625 1x — 14 11 2
Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.
Thomas Bateman, Jack Woods (1), Brody Rice (2), Stryder Liermann (3), Jesse Fess (4) and Keenan Maas; Grant Allaway and Ethan Pecor.
HITS: BF — none. TL — Lenz 3, Allaway 2, Robinett 2, Moore, Blansfield 2, Huston. 2B — Allaway.