BFHS Baseball eliminated at state competition

May 17, 2015

by Tom Turpin Bonners Ferry High School Head Baseball Coach With the hopes of bringing home a State trophy this year, the Bonners Ferry Badger Baseball team traveled to Ontario, Oregon to compete for the first time in three seasons in the 3A Idaho State Baseball Championship. Unfortunately, the Badger boys faced one of the State’s best pitchers in game #1 and lost 3-0 in a pitching duel between Marsh Valley’s Trevor Bowers and Bonners Ferry’s Steve Anzalone. Game #1 Marsh Valley’s Trevor Bowers pitched a complete game allowing one hit and striking out 12 Badgers as the Eagles defeated the Badgers 3-0 to open the 3A tournament. Badger pitcher Steve Anzalone was effective, too, striking out nine, but allowing five hits and walking five in the loss. With the game scoreless heading into the top of the 4th inning, Eagles Austin Wilding led off with a single to center to start the inning. After a strikeout by Anzalone and a steal by Wilding, Dylan Guthrie hit a RBI single to score Wilding. Colton Bention then hit a RBI double to center to score Guthrie to make the score 2-0 Marsh Valley. The only threat the Badgers had in the game was in the bottom of the 5th inning when Bowers walked Shay Garcia and Vince Bennett with one out. Bowers and the Eagles then executed a perfectly designed back pick to tag out Garcia for the 2nd out. Caleb Blackmore then grounded out to end the inning. The Eagles added an insurance run in the top of the 6th inning after Wilding walked to start the inning and later scored on an error from the Badger shortstop. That put the score 3-0 heading into the final two innings for the Badgers. Bowers, who was clocked at a top speed to 89 MPH in the game, proceeded to strike out the remaining 6 batters to end the game. The Badgers lone hit came from Caleb Gering in the 2nd inning. Game #2 Friday’s games were cancelled due to weather so the consolation games were scheduled to be played at Ontario High School on Saturday morning. The Badgers played the Emmett Huskies in the first game, and came away with an 11-6 loss, eliminating Bonners Ferry from the tournament. In that game, Bonners Ferry took an early lead when the Badgers scored three runs in the bottom of the 1st inning after leadoff hitter Brady Bateman walked, followed by Jesse Dunham doubling to right center. Steve Anzalone then hit a RBI single to right field to score Bateman. Pitcher Vince Bennett then laced a two run double to left center scoring Dunham and Anzalone. In the top of the 2nd, the Huskies got two runs on the board on two hits and an error from the Badgers. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Badgers added a run when Caleb Gering hit a double to left to start the inning and later scored on Bennett’s single. In the top of the 4th inning, Emmett scored three runs to make the score 5-4 Huskies as they scored all their runs on two outs. The Huskies 5th inning proved to be too much as they added four more runs to make the score 9-4. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Badgers added two runs when Bateman started the inning with a single and Dunham reached on a fielder’s choice, tagging Bateman out at second base. Gering was hit by a pitch to reach base and both Dunham and Gering scored on an error from the second baseman. The Huskies added 2 more runs in the top of the 7th to make the score 11-6 and the Badgers went quietly in their half of the 7th inning to end the game. Great Badger Team This year’s team had some remarkable achievements throughout their journey this season. Their final season record was 18-9, 8 more wins than last year, 8-1 in league as they won the league championship for just the second time in school history, had four All-League players, and beat a 4A and a 5A varsity program along the way. The future looks bright for the Badgers as they were the youngest team at this year’s State tournament. Hats off to a great group of young men! Go Badgers!!