Wallace tops Bonners

BONNERS FERRY — Jesse James hit a two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning to give Wallace a 9-4 lead, then the Miners survived a Badger rally to win 9-7. Craig Shiner pitched six strong innings and combined with Jeff James for 7 hits to lead the Miner's 15 hit assault on two Badger ptchers.

Wallace scored three runs in the second and four runs in the third, and rode Shiner's one hitter through the first five innings for a 7-0 lead. The Badgers busted loose for five hits and four runs in the sixth, capped off by Mark Pluid's two-run double, and suddenly the lead was vulnerable.

The James blast to dead center field appeared to be icing on the cake, but both runs were needed to keep the lead in a seventh inning downpour. Two walks and an infield hit loaded the bases for Bonners with no outs, and after a wild pitch scord one Rob Gross knifed a two-run triple down the right field line to cut the lead to two. Gross slipped on the muddy basepath rounding third and was tagged out though, and relief pitcher Vince Lee then settled down to strike out the next two hitters to get the save.

Wallace 034 000 2 — 9 15 1

Bonners 000 004 3 — 7 8 4

Craig Shiner, Vince Lee (7), and Vince Lee, Will (7). Kyle Dirks, Jon Pluid (3) and Josh Hawks and Rob Pluid (6). W — Shiner. L — Pluid.

HITS: Wal — Shiner 4, Jeff James 3, Jesse James 2, Keener 2, Achord, Lee, Norris. BF — Surprenant 2, Swift 2, Gross, Hayes, K. Dirks, M.Pluid. 2B — Shiner, Surprenant, M. Pluid. 3B — Gross. HR — Jesse James.