PREP BASEBALL: Badgers rout Kellogg, will host Timberlake Friday

SPIRIT LAKE – After a decisive 12-2 home victory over Kellogg, the Badgers baseball team (5-11) dropped its first of three straight matchups against district rival Timberlake by a final score of 6-8 in a close, well-played seven-inning showdown.

The Badgers breezed past the Kellogg Wildcats (3-12) on April 17 behind a strong pitching performance by Ronin Hanson – with six strikeouts in four innings – and aggressive hitting, with the first four batters in the Badgers’ lineup recording five hits and six runs batted in. 

The home game was also the first ever National Guard Day game, with a local veteran throwing out the first pitch, and the Badgers ballplayers wearing special uniforms given out by the Army National Guard. 

 The Army National Guard gave the Bonners Ferry Badgers special uniforms.

“I thought it was an incredible event. We picked a beautiful day to do it. It's a great reason to celebrate – our freedom,” said Bonners Ferry head coach Tom Turpin. “A lot of our players have family members who have served in the military. Hopefully, we’ll do this on an annual basis.” 

After defeating Kellogg 12-2, Bonners Ferry traveled to Spirit Lake the following day to face its 4A District 1 rival Timberlake (10-2) in a highly competitive matchup, falling short by a final tally of 6-8. 

“Timberlake is having a solid year; I didn’t expect anything but a competitive game,” Turpin said. “If we had made a couple more player, there would have been a different outcome.” 

Gavin Rider pitched a complete game for the Badgers, facing 30 batters and throwing a total of 173 pitches. 

“Gavin pitched a great game, probably his best performance of the year,” Turpin said. 

Badger seniors Brody Rice and Thomas Bateman elevated their games for the rivalry matchup, combining for five hits and four runs batted in. 

“It’s not surprising they put a good swing on the ball,” Turpin said. 

But it was not enough to overcome the rolling Timberlake Tigers, who have now won seven straight games. Aside from the 8-6 victory over Bonners Ferry, all other Tigers wins in the win streak have been by at least 12 runs. 

The Timberlake versus Bonners Ferry series will continue this week in town. 

Homefield advantage for the 4A District 1 championship series will be decided with a Senior Night double-header on April 25 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. in Bonners Ferry. 

“We’re ready for our next game against Timberlake,” Turpin said. “The second game doesn’t matter to us right now. We’re focused on getting at least one more run than them in game one, and then we’ll go from there. 

“It’s going to be a battle, which will be fun. Both Timberlake and Bonners Ferry have taken league and district championships away from each other for many, many years.” 

GAME ONE

Kellogg 1 1 0 0 0 – 2 3 4 

Bonners Ferry 2 2 0 4 4 – 12 7 1 

PITCHING:
BF – Hanson (W): 4IP, 3H, 2R, 1BB, 6K. Mertzweiller: 1IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 1K. KLG – Haynes (L): 2.2IP, 2H, 4R, 3BB, 3K. VanVleet: 1IP, 1H, 3R, 2BB, 1K. Rose: 0.1IP, 2H, 4R, 2BB, 1K. Larson: 0.1IP, 2H, 1R, 1BB, 0K. 

BATTING:  
HITS: BF – Liermann 2, Maas 1, Bateman 1, Hanson 1, Rice 1, Rider 1. KLG – Keller 1, Haynes 1, VanVleet 1.
RBI: BF – Maas 3, Hanson 2, Woods 1, Rice 1, Bateman 1. KLG – Keller 1, VanVleet 1. 

GAME TWO 

Bonners Ferry 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 – 6 8 2 

Timberlake 1 0 3 4 0 0 X – 8 10 3 

PITCHING:
BF – Rider: 6IP, 10H, 8R, 1BB, 3K. TL – Wylie: 6.1IP, 7H, 6R, 1BB, 7K. Brennan: 0.2IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K. 

BATTING:
HITS: BF – Bateman 3, Rice 2, Maas 1, Woods 1, Mertzweiller 1. TL – Brennan 2, Perkl 2, Beardsall 2, Haines 2, Pecor 1, Wylie 1.
3B: TL – Wylie 1. 2B: BF – Rice 2, Maas 1. TL – Beardsall 1.
RBI: Bateman 2, Rice 2, Maas 1, Woods 1. Perkl 2, Brennan 1, Pecor 1, Wylie 1, Haines 1.