Pirates win 1 of 2
The Prairie Pirates baseball team ended their regular season by winning 1 of 3 games plus picking up a forfeit.
On Tuesday, April 30, they hosted Clearwater Valley and won 5-4. On Wednesday, May 1 they played a doubleheader against Potlatch at Lewiston and lost 0-9 and 2-12. Finally on Friday, they were to play Lapwai but the Wildcats were short of players and forfeited the game.
That gives Prairie a final season record of 6-12 and a league record of 6-8. They finished 5^th in the league and were to play at C.V. On Tuesday, May 7. If they won that game (they lost 5-7) they would clinch a trip to state and play Friday and Saturday in the District final 4 to determine seedings to State.
The Pirates had lost to C.V. 1-15 in their first game of the season. This game was a different story.
C.V. scored first on an error, stolen base, passed ball and a single to take a 0-1 lead in the top of the first inning against starter Phil Schwartz.
Prairie went down in order in the bottom of the first.
Schwartz set the Rams down in order in the second.
In the bottom of the second the Pirates took their first lead. Noah Behler led off with a single. Carter Shears followed with another single. Jake Quintal beat out an infield single to load the bases. Chris Schumacher was then hit by a pitch to force home Behler for Prairie’s first run of the game. After 2 straight outs, Schwartz singled to left to score both Shears and Quintal and give the Pirates a 3-1 lead.
Devon Poxleitner went to the mound to start the third inning as coach David Shears watched the pitch count of his pitchers to be able to bring them back for Thursday’s game against Kendrick if needed.
A single, strikeout and another single plus a walk loaded the bases for the Rams. After another strikeout, the following batter was hit by a pitch to score C.V.’s second run.
The score remained at 3-2 in favor of the Pirates until the fifth inning when Prairie added 2 more runs.
With 1 out in the bottom of the fifth, Schwartz reached first on a swinging third strike that got past the catcher. Schwartz went to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a ground out. Cody Kaschmitter doubled to score Schwartz. Behler was hit by a pitch and Shears walked to load the bases.
C.V. changed pitchers and Quintal drew a walk to score Kaschmitter and make it 5-2.
C.V. had a couple of baserunners in the sixth but an out on the bases helped the Pirates get out of the inning with no runs scored.
Prairie loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth as Collin Ray and Kade Quintal walked and Schwartz singled. However Ray was put out at home trying to score on a passed ball and the next two batters were put out to end the inning.
Behler went in to pitch the seventh inning and put the first two C.V. hitters on base with a hit by pitch and a walk. After a strikeout, a double scored both runners. An error put the next batter on and moved the tying run to third base. Prairie then was able to end the game with a 9-2 double play. Right fielder Schumacher caught a short fly ball in right for the second out and then threw out the runner at home who had tagged up and was trying to score.
Prairie had 7 hits in the game led by Schwartz who had 2 singles and 2 RBI. Shears also had 2 singles. Kaschmitter had a double and an RBI. Jake Quintal had a single and an RBI and Behler had a single.
Schwartz pitched 2 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 1 strikeout.
Poxleitner pitched 1 1/3 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 2 strikeouts, a hit batsman and a walk. Levi McElroy pitched 2 1/3 innings allowing no runs on 3 hits with 1 strikeout and 1 walk. Behler pitched 1 1/3 innings allowing 2 runs on 1 hit with 1 strikeout, 1 hit batsman and 1 walk.
C.V.   1 0 1 0 0 0 2—4 8 0
Prairie 0 3 0 0 2 0 x—5 7 4
In the first game of the doubleheader against Potlatch, the Pirates struggled to get any offense going.
They were limited to 3 singles and had just 2 batted balls leave the infield.
Potlatch meanwhile scored 9 runs on 9 hits against 2 Prairie pitchers.
Schwartz started the game and gave up 2 hits and a run in the first inning. He gave up another run on a double and a single in the third. In the fourth inning a leadoff error, base hit and sacrifice fly led to a run. In the sixth inning he appeared to tire as he walked the first 2 hitters then a bunt that was mishandled for an error that led to 2 runs. After the error, Poxleitner took over on the mound with a 2-0 count as Schwartz hit the pitch limit. Poxleitner got 3 straight outs to get out of the inning.
He then ran into trouble in the seventh inning as a walk, hit batsman, double, single plus an error and another double led to 4 more runs.
Prairie meanwhile had an infield single by McElroy in the first, a walk each by Behler and Schumacher in the second. In the third they had their biggest scoring threat as they loaded the bases with 1 out on a single by Kad Quintal, a walk by McElroy and a bloop single to right by Kaschmitter. However a comebacker to the mound for a pitcher to catcher to first double play ended the threat.
Schwartz drew a walk in the fifth, Behler drew a walk in the sixth and Schumacher reached on an error in the seventh.
McElroy, Kade Quintal and Kaschmitter each had a single in the game.
Schwartz gave up 5 runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts in 5+ innings. Poxleitner gave up 4 runs on 3 hits with a walk and a hit batsman in 2 innings.
Potlatch 1 0 1 0 1 2 4—9 9 1
Prairie   0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0 3 3
Prairie was the visiting team for the second game against Potlatch.
McElroy started on the mound for the pirates and gave up an unearned run in the first. Potlatch drew a leadoff walk. A steal and a wild pitch moved the runner to third and an error allowed him to score. Prairie then got out of the inning with a double play.
Prairie tied the game in the second as Behler drew a leadoff walk and scored when Shears doubled to the fence in right center.
McElroy gave up a walk but no runs in the second inning.
Prairie went down in order on 3 ground balls in the third inning.
McElroy ran into trouble in the third with a hit batter, single, single, double, walk and error before he got the first out. Another single scored 2 more runs. After a second out, Behler came on to pitch. He gave up an infield single before getting out of the inning with a infield popup.
Prairie added a run in the fourth as Kaschmitter led off with a single. Behler followed with a double. Kaschmitter scored on a single by Shears.
Potlatch scored on a single and 2 errors in the bottom of the fourth to make it 2-7.
In the fifth Prairie went down in order.
Kade Quintal went to the mound for the fifth inning and was unable to get anyone out as Potlatch scored 5 runs to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
Prairie had 4 hits in the game. Shears had a double and a single and 2 RBI. Behler had a double and Kaschmitter had a single.
McElroy pitched 2 2/3 innings allowing 6 runs on 4 hits with 4 strikeouts, 2 walks and 1 hit batsman. Behler pitched 1 1/3 innings allowing 1 run on 2 hits with 1 walk. Quintal faced 6 batters giving up 5 runs on 3 hits, 2 walks and a hit batsman.
Prairie finishes their regular season with a record of 6-12 overall, 6-8 in league play.
They were to play at C.V. on Tuesday, May 7. If they won they would qualify for state and likely play Kendrick at 3 p.m. Friday, May 10 at Orofino.
Prairie    0 1 0 1 0—  2 4 4
Potlatch 1 0 5 1 5—12 9 1
Despite Lapwai forfeiting the game Friday, May 3on what was to be senior night, the Pirates still honored their two seniors.
Noah Behler and Cody Kaschmitter were honored with their families and then the Pirates put on a hitting exhibition, hitting off the pitching machine.