BHFS Head Baseball Coach
(Photos of game action are available at the bottom of this story)
The Badger baseball team took control of first place in the Intermountain League by sweeping the rival Timberlake Tigers on Senior Day in Bonners Ferry. The Badgers pushed their overall record to 15-2 (5-0 league) with just four regular season games left.
GAME 1 - TIMBERLAKE 0, BONNERS FERRY 2
Senior Vince Bennett struck out seven and walked only one batter and Nick Sabin hit a key RBI double in the fourth inning to secure the win. The win improves Bennett’s record to 6-0.
In the bottom of the fourth, senior Caleb Blackmore started the inning off with a single to left field. Seth Bateman was called out as he stepped out of the batter’s box while attempting to bunt. Nick Sabin then hit a towering double to left center to score Blackmore. Sabin was tagged out attempting to reach third.
Bennett scattered three hits in the win with the only threat coming in the fifth inning when two Timberlake batters hit back to back singles with two outs. Bennett struck out the next batter to end the inning.
The Badgers added an insurance run in the sixth inning when junior Jesse Dunham and senior Caleb Gering started off the inning with back-to-back singles. Blackmore hit into a double play but Dunham was able to score from third.
Timberlake 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Bonners Ferry 0 0 0 1 0 1 X 2 6 0
Badger hits: Dunham – 2, Gering, Blackmore – 2, Sabin, N. (2B)
(Photos of game action are available at the bottom of this story)
GAME 2 - TIMBERLAKE 1, BONNERS FERRY 10
The Badgers jumped out to an early six run lead in the bottom of the first inning aided by 4 hits, two walks and a hit batter as Bonners Ferry led throughout the game to win 10-1.
After sophomore Brady Bateman started the inning off with a walk, Bennett hit a soft single to left field. Dunham attempted a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled by the first baseman which loaded the bases with no outs. Gering was then hit by a pitch to score Bateman. After Blackmore popped up with an infield fly, Nick Sabin came through again with a two-run single to score Bennett and Dunham. Then junior Kevin Gray hit a two-run double down the left field line to score Gering and Sabin. Brady Bateman then hit a RBI single to right to score Chris Sabin who had reached earlier on a walk.
The Badgers added a run in the second inning after Gering hit a single and later scored on a RBI single from junior Kaleb Stockton. Timberlake scored their lone run in the top of the third inning to make the score 7-1. Bonners Ferry scored a run in their half of the third after Kevin Gray started the inning off with a single and later scored on Dunham’s ground out to the shortstop. In the fourth, Blackmore started the inning off with a single and later scored on a RBI single from Gray. The Badgers added a run in the fifth inning on a RBI double from Nick Sabin to score Dunham.
Kevin Gray and Nick Sabin both had a great game at the plate as Gray went 4 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI and Nick Sabin went 3 for 3 with a double and 3 RBI. The highlight defensively for the Badgers came in the in the top of the sixth with one out and a runner on first for Timberlake. Tiger Braxton Tonkin hit a line shot gap to right center where Kaleb Stockton laid out to make an incredible diving catch. He then popped up and threw a strike to first base to double up Timberlake's Ty George at first. “That was probably one of the best diving catches I’ve seen in a long time.” said Coach Tom Turpin
Timberlake 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 9 2
Bonners Ferry 6 1 1 1 1 0 X 10 16 1
Badger hits: B. Bateman, Bennett – 2, Dunham -2, Gering, Blackmore, N. Sabin – 3 (2B), Stockton – 2 (2B), Gray – 4 (2B)
The Badgers travel to Priest River on Tuesday, April 26th to take on the Spartans in IML action.
