| Pirates
win District title
Despite not having a team the past two years Prairie was able to win the District Championship and advance to their first State Baseball Tournament since winning it in 2010. They knocked off Troy 3-1 in their opener Thursday, May 8 and then defeated Clearwater Valley, an upset winner over league champion Genesee Thursday, 11-1 in the District Championship game Friday, May 9. Genesee wound up winning when it counted against C.V. to take second place. 
The only runs scored in the game came in the fifth inning as Prairie prevailed 3-1. Both sides put up zeroes through the first four innings as Prairie had just 5 hits while Tyler Hankerson limited Troy to just 2 singles and a hit batsman. In the fifth Hankerson got a little wild, walking the leadoff batter. A prefect bunt single followed. Hankerson struck out the next two batters but then gave up a single to center that scored a run. Prairie got the third as the runner from first tried to advance to third on the throw home. Catcher Brandon Anderson made a strong throw to Calvin Hinkelman at third to nail the runner and end the threat. In the bottom of the fifth Prairie finally put a rally together. Devin Bruegeman hit a 1-out single through the hole between third and short. Rhett Schlader followed with a bunt that was was thrown into right field by the third baseman. Bruegeman came all the way around to score the tying run. Clark Bruno then doubled down the line in left to score Schlader with the go-ahead run. Hinkelman followed with a double to left center. Bruno was thrown out at the plate but the throw back to third to try and catch Hinkelman got past the third baseman allowing Hinkelman to score and make it 3-1. Hankerson got the side out in order in the 6th inning and gave up a leadoff single but then retired the side in the seventh to preserve the win. Hankerson gave up only 5 hits and 1 run with 1 walk, 1 hit batsman and 6 strikeouts. Prairie had 9 hits with Bruno collecting a double and single and an RBI. Bruegeman had 2 singles. Hinkelman had a double and an RBI. Hankerson and Anderson each had a double and Terran Peery and Casey Danly each had a single. Troy 0 0 0 0 1 0 0—1 5 4 District Championship vs. CV He got the Rams out in order in each of the first two innings before giving up a leadoff hit in the third. Prairie had a pair of hits in the first inning, a single each from Schlader and Bruno, but they were unable to score. Prairie took the lead in the second inning. Hankerson got a leadoff single. A balk sent him to second base and an errant pickoff throw sent him to third. After an out, Anderson drew a walk and stole second. Another errant pickoff throw allowed Hankerson to score the game’s first run with Anderson going to third.  Bruner
then reached on an error as the second baseman dropped an infield popup.
Anderson wound up scoring on the play to make it 2-0.
C.V. answered with a run in the second on a leadoff single, bunt single and an error. Prairie came right back though with a big inning in the third. Bruno’s leadoff fly ball was dropped as the center fielder and left fielder ran into each other. Daniel Mager went in as a courtesy runner. Hinkelman followed with a single to left but Mager was thrown out at home trying to score. Peery drew a 4-pitch walk. Hankerson reached on a fielder’s choice that loaded the bases. Danly followed with an infield grounder that allowed Hinkelman to score with the play at the plate not being made in time. Anderson beat out an infield single with Peery scoring. A wild pitch scored Hankerson and moved everyone else up a base. Bruner drew a walk to reload the bases. Bruegeman then singled Danly home to make it 6-1. Schlader drew a walk to force home Anderson. Bruner then scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-1. Prairie had no big hits in the inning but were able to keep the merry-go-round moving one base at a time. After the run in the third inning, Bruno allowed just 2 more baserunners, a single each in the 5th and 7th innings as he shut down the Rams. Prairie added 2 in the fifth inning as Anderson led off with a single to center and stole second. After a lineout and a ground out that moved Anderson to third, Schlader beat out an infield single that scored Anderson. Schlader stole second and went to third on a passed ball. He scored on Bruno’s infield single which put the game-ending run on base. Daniel Mager again was in as a courtesy runner for the pitcher but was caught stealing to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth Prairie was able to end it on the 10-run mercy rule as Hinkelman was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He stole second and scored when Peery reached on an error. Bruno allowed just 4 hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts. He also got a great catch by John Mager in right field on the leadoff hitter in the fourth as he dove for the ball to make the catch and somersaulted before coming up with the ball in his mitt. Meanwhile Prairie had 9 hits, all singles, led by Schlader, Bruno and Anderson who had 2 singles each. Schlader had 2 RBI while Bruno and Anderson had 1 each. Bruegeman had a single and an RBI. Hinkelman and Hankerson each added a single. The Pirates take a 13-8 record into the state tournament. Oddly, neither of District 2’s representatives to state this year even had a baseball team last year. C.V. 0 0 1 0 0 0— 1 4 5 Prairie 0 2 6 0 2 1—11 9 1
Pirates open against Horseshoe Bend Prairie gets to play in the opening game of the 1-A State Baseball Tournament at Lewiston’s Church Field Friday, May 16 at 10 a.m. They will play District 3 runner-up Horseshoe Bend. Genesee will play District 3 champion Wilder at noon. The two losers will play at 2 p.m. with the winners playing at 4 p.m. The game 3 winner will play the game 4 loser at 10 a.m. Saturday. The winner of that game will play the game 4 winner at noon. If the game 4 winner wins that game they are state champions. If they don’t win, there will be a second, winner-take-all state championship game at 2 p.m. Prairie has won the state 1-A championship twice, in 2006 and 2010. They have finished second 3 times, twice at the A-3/2-A level and once at the 1-A level. All of the championship game appearances came against fellow District 2 teams. They lost to Orofino, Potlatch and Kendrick and beat Genesee and Potlatch. 
Prairie Baseball 2014 March 20—Kamiah, there, 4:00, won 16-4 21—McCall, here, (2), 4:00, lost 3-8, led 2nd game 5-2 in third when called due to darkness 22—Genesee (2) @LCSC, 11:00, lost 3-8 and 2-3 28—Troy (2) @Clearwater Park-Lewiston 4:00, trail 13-16 in bottom of 7th, game suspended due to rain - to be made up 29—Potlatch, here (2), 11:00, postponed due to rain 11 & 12—Glenn’s Ferry Tournament, Friday: lost to Wells 1-12; lost to Malad 6-10, lost to Soda Springs 4-9 Saturday: Soda Springs, 11:30 15—C.V., here, 4:30, won 18-5 17—vs. Highland (@Culdesac), 4:30 Postponed to April 28 due to rain 18--vs. Potlatch (2), here 3:00 p.m., lost 6-14, won 17-9 19—Timberline, there, (2) 11:00, won 21-1, won 26-3 24—Kendrick, there, 4:30, cancelled due to rain 25--at Troy, 4 p.m., complete suspended game then play second game.--POSTPONED TO MAY 3 28—Highland, here, (2), 3:30, postponed due to field conditions 2—Kendrick, here, 4:30, cancelled 2—Highland here, (2), 3 p.m., rescheduled from April 28, won 23-4 and 11-0 3—at Troy, rescheduled from April 25 due to wet field., lost makeup 14-16, won 24-2 5 – 10—Districts- Lewiston, beat Troy 3-1, beat C.V. 11-1, District Champions 16 & 17—State at Lewiston, Opener vs. Horseshoe Bend, 10 a.m. May 16, Church Field |
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