Baseball: Bonners Ferry finishes season, Timberlake off to state
Timberlake first baseman Caden Robinett clutches the throw from third base for the final out as Keenan Moss of Bonners Ferry slides into first in Game 2 of the best-of-3 3A District 1 baseball playoffs Thursday in Spirit Lake.
(JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY )
SPIRIT LAKE — The Timberlake Tigers didn’t waste any time wrapping up its second straight 3A District 1 baseball title on Thursday, May 9.
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-three series for the district title. Timberlake beat Bonners 2-1 on Wednesday, May 8 to claim the opening game in the series.
“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 the 5th inning due to the 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.
GAME 1
Timberlake wins Game 1, by 1 run
SPIRIT LAKE — Caden Robinett of Timberlake and Trey Bateman of Bonners Ferry locked up in another pitchers’ duel Wednesday in Game 1 of a best-of-3 series for the 3A District 1 baseball title
Just like Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson figured.
“These two have done it for the better part of four years,” Johnson said. “When you have those two guys on the mound, runs are going to be at a premium. And you have to score when you get guys on base.”
As it turned out, Robinett allowed just one hit, Bateman scattered five, and Timberlake (11-9-1) scratched out a pair of runs in the fourth inning to beat visiting Bonners Ferry (4-18) 2-1.
“He just was in a zone; the kid has been Mr. Consistent for a long time now,” Johnson said of Robinett, who struck out 12 and walked two. “He’s been looking forward to this for a long time, and I could tell early he was locked in.”
Robinett allowed a one-out single to Brody Rice in the second inning. Rice advanced to second on a passed ball, then moved up to third on a dropped third strike that got away from the Timberlake catcher. The catcher threw to first base to try to get the batter, there was a collision, the ball squirted away, and Rice scored.
Robinett drew a walk to open the fourth, and Cayden Knight entered as a courtesy runner.
The Tigers tried to bunt Knight to second, but a pitch in the dirt got away from the catcher, and Knight took second.
Junior James Moore lined a triple to left center to score Knight with the tying run, and Zach Blansfield singled up the middle to score the go-ahead run.
“He (Moore) ran into a fastball, and it was huge for his confidence,” Johnson said. “It was a sigh of relief for him, and a giant fist pump for me.”
Bonners had runners at second and third in the fifth with two out. Johnson opted to intentionally walk Bateman to load the bases, and Robinett got the next batter to fly out.
“After we went up there last Friday and got smacked around after we had wrapped up the league title, I was curious how we would respond, and we responded really well today.” Johnson said.
Bonners Ferry 010 000 0 — 1 1 1
Timberlake 000 200 x — 2 5 0
Trey Bateman and Jesse Fess; Caden Robinett and Nate Beardsall.
HITS: BF — Rice. TL — Brennan, Allaway, Moore, Blansfield 2. 3B — Moore.