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Yea, it was a pretty wild game ... |
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May 23, 2017 |
By Coach Tom Turpin
The Badger baseball team set a new standard in
their 24 year program by playing in their very
first 3A State Championship game last Saturday
only to lose in heartbreaking fashion 19-16
against the three time defending State Champion
Fruitland Grizzlies.
GAME 1 - Bonners Ferry – 10 Teton – 1
The Badgers started off the tournament with the
first game last Thursday against the Teton
Redskins of Driggs, Idaho. Teton scored the
first run of the game in the top of the fourth
inning after their batter reached on an error
and later scored on a RBI double to left center.
The Badgers tied the score 1–1 in the bottom of
the fifth inning when Brady Bateman hit a one
out double to center field. He later scored on
Jesse Dunham’s bases-loaded walk.
After Teton went quietly in the top of the sixth
inning, the Badgers erupted for nine runs in the
bottom of the sixth inning to take control of
the game. Brady Bateman and Nick Sabin both hit
two run doubles in the inning and Dunham hit a
RBI single.
Brady Bateman, Chris Sabin and Kevin Gray all
went 2 for 3 in the game with Bateman, Nick
Sabin and Gray all hitting doubles. Dunham got
the win for the Badgers and improved his record
to 6–0 in the season.
GAME 2 - Bonners Ferry – 5 Teton – 3
In 2011, The Payette Pirates and the Bonners
Ferry Badgers faced off for the chance to play
in the Championship like this one, only the
Pirates prevailed 9–8 in extra innings.
This time, the Badgers were prepared and began
the scoring in a big way in the top of the first
inning.
After the first two batters were retired, Nick
Sabin hit a single to left field to reach base.
Jesse Dunham then crushed a towering shot over
the 386 foot mark for a home run, only to be
denied the four bagger after it was determined
he missed touching home plate.
Sabin, however, scored on the official triple
from Dunham. The Pirates responded in their half
of the first inning when their hitter laced a
one out triple to left center and later scored
on another triple to make the score 1–1. Both
teams went quietly in the second and third
innings until the Badgers scored in the top of
the fourth when Dunham reached on a one out
error and later scored on another Pirate error.
The Badgers added two more runs on the top of
the fifth inning to make the score 4–1, but the
Pirates would not go away, scoring two runs in
the bottom of the fifth to narrow the lead to
4–3 Bonners Ferry.
The Badgers added an insurance run in the top of
the seventh inning with a one out double to
center field, later scored on Nick Sabin’s RBI
single to left to make the score 5–3.
The Pirates went three up, three down in the
bottom of the seventh to secure the very first
trip to the Championship game for the Badgers.
Brady Bateman finished on the mound with a
complete game, giving up four hits, striking out
five and walking only two. The Badger offense
was led Brady Bateman and Nick Sabin, both
getting two hits while Chris Sabin, Jesse Dunham
and Kaleb Stockton all got one hit.
State Championship Game – Fruitland – 19
Bonners Ferry – 16
The Fruitland Grizzlies had won the last seven
of eight state titles in the 3A classification
with three straight heading into the
Championship game against the Bonners Ferry
Badgers, who had never been in the Championship
game in their 24 year history.
But the Badgers were not intimidated as they
immediately put five runs on the board in the
bottom of the first inning.
After Fruitland was retired in the top of the
second, Bonners Ferry added four more runs to
take an early 9–0 lead against the Grizzlies.
But in the third and fourth innings, the Badger
pitching fell apart as they gave up a total of
13 walks and two hit batters and the Fruitland
Grizzlies took the lead 18–11 after the fourth
inning.
The Badgers weren’t done, as they scored five
runs in the bottom of the fifth inning with
consecutive singles from Dunham, Walker, Seth
Bateman and Kevin Gray to narrow the lead to
16–18 with two innings left. In the top of the
sixth inning, Fruitland shortstop Zack Flannery
hit a towering home run to left center to push
the lead to 19–16, but the Badgers could not put
together a string of hits of runs together to
get back in the game.
Despite finishing second, the Badgers
contributed to an Idaho state 3A baseball record
for most runs in a championship game, with 35
runs topping by four the old record of 31. At
over three and a half hours, it was also one of
the longest state championship games as well.
Bonners Ferry outhit the Grizzlies 15 to 11 and
committed only two errors to their four, but the
15 walks killed them.
"Yea, it was a pretty wild game," Turpin said
later. "We missed a great opportunity but had a
great season overall ... It's gonna be hard to
match this year, but that's why you play the
game!"
Seth Bateman had three hits while Brady Bateman,
Jesse Dunham, Kevin Gray and Mason Eby all had
two hits in the game. Brady Bateman, Chris Sabin
and Dunham all had doubles for the Badgers.
Brady Bateman led the team with 6 hits (.600
batting average) in the tournament with 3
doubles followed by Chris Sabin, Jesse Dunham,
Kevin Gray, Seth Bateman and Nick Sabin with
four hits each. Nick Sabin led the team with 5
RBI followed by Dunham.
The Badger Baseball team finished the season
20–4 while sweeping the Intermountain League
(9-0 twice) for the second consecutive season.
With five seniors graduating and 10 juniors next
season, the Badgers will be primed for another
run at the Idaho State Title. |
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