Spartan baseball knocks off league champs to secure first win
Senior Coby Rogers makes a throw to first to record an out during a doubleheader at Sandpoint on April 1.
(Photo courtesy of JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
PRIEST RIVER — The winless streak is over.
Priest River baseball overcame an eight-run deficit to secure a 14-13 victory in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday against Bonners Ferry, the 2021 Intermountain League champions.
The Spartans scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a one run lead and Everett Hannah stepped on the mound in the seventh to close out the win and went three up, three down.
Brendan Reeves got the rally started in the sixth with an RBI double. Hannah, Tyson Brooks, Nadin Thompson and Coby Rogers also recorded RBIs in the breakout inning.
It was an offensive outburst the Spartans had been waiting for all season. The win snapped a 16-game losing streak.
Head coach Mark Schultz said it was great to get the monkey off their back and regain that winning feeling.
"It was really a team win," he said. "They just never quit and they don't give up, I've said that all season long."
Thompson tallied four RBIs and Rogers went 3 for 4 at the plate.
In the second game against the Badgers, Priest River fell 9-6.
The Spartans took an early 4-0 advantage, but Bonners Ferry scored seven runs across the third, fourth and fifth innings to earn the doubleheader split.
Hannah had four RBIs in the game.
On Friday, the Spartans dropped a pair of games at IML rival Kellogg.
In the first contest, the Wildcats scored four runs in the fifth inning to pull away and hand Priest River a 5-3 defeat.
Konner Johnson only allowed six hits and two earned runs over six innings, but six errors cost the Spartans. Johnson also tossed six strikeouts.
In the second game, a victory was within reach for Priest River, but once again the fifth inning proved to be the difference. Leading 3-1, the Spartans allowed Kellogg to score three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth. The Wildcats held on for the 8-3 win.
Hannah started on the mound and threw 11 strikeouts. He also went 2 for 2 at the plate.
Across the doubleheader, Rogers had four hits.
With the regular season now over, the No. 4 seed Spartans (1-17, 1-11 IML) head to No. 1 seed Bonners Ferry at 4 p.m. Monday for the first round of the 3A District 1 tournament. With a win, Priest River would advance to the district championship game on Tuesday to face the winner of Kellogg-Timberlake. With a loss, the Spartans would play in the loser-out game on Tuesday at the loser of Kellogg-Timberlake.
FIRST GAME
Bonners Ferry 003 433 0 — 13 7 3
Priest River 210 119 X — 14 12 6
Konner Johnson, Tyson Brooks (5), Everett Hannah (7) and Tyson Troudt; Dahl, Schulte (6), Rice (6) and Banning.
HITS: BF — Bateman 4, Newell, Banning, Eby. PR — Rogers 3, Tyson Brooks 3, Reeves 2, Hannah 2, Johnson, Thompson. 2B — Bateman, Newell, Reeves. 3B — Bateman.
SECOND GAME
Bonners Ferry 001 420 2 — 9 10 2
Priest River 040 002 0 — 6 6 2
Everett Hannah, Nadin Thompson (5) and Tyso Troudt; Banning, Rice (7) and Banning and Bateman.
HITS: BF — Bateman 3, Banning 3, Rice 2, Dahl, Eby. PR — Hannah 2, Rogers, T. Brooks, Johnson, Reynolds. 2B — Rice, Banning, Hannah.
FIRST GAME
Priest River 010 011 0 — 3 5 3
Kellogg 000 140 X — 5 6 1
Konner Johnson and Tyson Troudt; Hoffman, Eixenberger (7) and Frohlich.
HITS: PR — Rogers 2, T. Brooks, Johnson, C. Brooks. K — Jerome 2, White Hoffman, Eixenberger. 2B — Rogers, Jerome, White.
SECOND GAME
Priest River 100 200 0 — 3 5 8
Kellogg 000 134 X — 8 6 2
Everett Hannah and Tyson Troudt; Hoffman, Jerome (4), Eixenberger (6) and Frohlich.
HITS: PR — Hannah 2, Rogers 2, T. Brooks. K — Frohlich 3, Rainio, Jerome, White. 2B — Rogers, Hannah, Jerome, Frohlich. HR — Frohlich.