PREP BASEBALL: Badgers off to strong 2-1 start

LEWISTON — The Bonners Ferry Badgers baseball team opened the season with a sweep at St. Maries last weekend and a 2-1 record overall. 

“After last year’s dismal record, we’re halfway to where we need to be to meet that goal from last year,” said baseball head coach Tom Turpin. “We’re headed in the right direction; we’re battling. It’s still early, but I walked away pretty promised from the three games.” 

In the season opener March 21 against the Grangeville Bulldogs, the Badgers were down by one run after five innings but gave up four runs in the sixth and ultimately fell short 8-3. Bulldog David Goicoa pitched 4.1 innings, striking out 11 Badgers, as well homering and driving three runs in from the batter's box. Thomas Bateman and Ronin Hanson were the only batters to register hits for Bonners Ferry. 

The Badgers scored a first inning run while going up against Goicoa, one of the highest velocity pitchers they will face all season, Turpin said, with a fastball in the mid-80s mph.

In the March 22 double-header against St. Maries, the Badgers scored a total of 25 runs, winning the first game 12-10 and the second 13-2. 

In these games, Bateman continued to swing the bat well, logging three hits and two RBI in the first game, as well as two hits and one RBI in the second game. Bateman also pitched three innings in the second game, allowing just one run, unearned. 

“The big improvement from one day to the next was our aggressiveness,” Turpin said. “We struck out 13 times in the first game, eight looking. In the next two games, we only struck out five times.” 

The Badgers bounced back with three doubles in the first game against the Lumberjacks – from Bateman, Jack Woods and Cardon Pluid. 

The Badgers were scheduled to play four games, but the second matchup against Grangeville was cancelled due to rain. 

“It’s always tough in North Idaho to get games in February and March,” Turpin said. “It was good to get out on the field, get the guys playing baseball. There’s a total difference in intensity between practices and games.” 

The Badgers will host Lincoln County this Saturday at 1 p.m. Softball will also host Lincoln County in a double-header for their season opener on Saturday. 

GAME ONE 

Grangeville 0 0 2 2 0 4 0 — 8 8 4 

Bonners Ferry 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 3 4 1 

PITCHING 

BF — Woods: 4IP, 3H, 4ER, 5BB, 7K. Liermann: 3IP, 5H, 4ER, 5BB, 2K. GRA — Goicoa: 4.1IP, 2H, 1ER, 2BB, 11K. Jackson: 2.2 IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 2K. 

BATTING 

HITS: BF — Bateman 2, Hanson 2. GRA — Long 2, Goicoa 2, Jackson 2, Brown 2. 

2B — Bateman. HR — Goicoa. 

RBI: BF — Maas 1. GRA — Goicoa 3, Brown 2, Jackson 1, Long 1. 

GAME TWO 

St. Maries 0 0 0 1 0 8 1 — 10 7 0 

Bonners Ferry 4 3 0 2 1 2 X — 12 11 4 

PITCHING  

BF — Rider: 4IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 7K. Mertzweiller: 1.1IP, 1H, 6ER, 3BB, 2K. Hanson: 1.2IP, 4H, 1ER, 0BB, 1K. SM — Holmes: 2IP, 7H, 7ER, 1BB, 1K. Stewart: 4IP, 4H, 4ER, 4BB, 2K. 

BATTING  

HITS: BF — Bateman 3, Liermann 3, Rice 1, Woods 1, Maas 1, Osteberg 1, Pluid 1. SM — Harold 1, Pugh 1, Lingo 1, K. Brusseau 1, Morris 1, Hammons 1, McMurrian 1. 

2B — Pluid, Woods, Bateman, Morris. 3B — Lingo. 

RBI: BF — Liermann 4, Bateman 2, Woods 1, Rider 1, Pluid 1, Osteberg 1. SM — Pugh 3, Lingo 2, Holmes 1, Mitchell 1, Hammons 1, R. Brusseau 1. 

GAME THREE 

St. Maries 1 0 0 0 1 — 2 5 5 

Bonners Ferry 6 3 4 0 X — 13 11 1 

PITCHING   

BF — Bateman: 3IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 3K. Rice: 2IP, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 1K. SM — Hammons: 1.1IP, 6H, 6ER, 0BB, 0K. Lingo: 1IP, 4H, 4ER, 4BB, 0K. McMurrian: 1.2IP, 1H, 0ER, 1BB, 2K. 

BATTING   

HITS: BF — Woods 3, Hanson 3, Bateman 2, Maas 1, Pluid 1, Liermann 1. SM — Harold 1, Holmes 1, Morris 1, Wilburn 1, Stewart 1. 

2B — Woods, Maas, Bateman. 

RBI: BF — Maas 2, Hanson 2, Bateman 1, Liermann 1, Osteberg 1, Burt 1. SM — Harold 1, Holmes 1.