| Pirates
beat Lewis County 19-4
Matt Baerlocher hit for the cycle with 7 RBI and 5 runs scored as the Prairie baseball team opened their season with a 19-4 win over Lewis County at Craigmont Tuesday, March 23. 
Baerlocher led off the game with a single to left and stole his way to third. Shane Doyle walked and Jacob Riener scored Baerlocher with a groundout. Doyle scored on Mat Forsman’s 2-out single. In the second inning Baerlocher picked up his first RBI with a ground rule double that scored Kevin Funke, who had walked. Baerlocher stole third and then scored on Doyle’s infield single. Doyle stole second and then advanced to third and then scored on a pair of wild pitches. Riener walked and stole second and scored on Chad Arnzen’s single down the left field line. In the third Brent Frei led off with a ground rule double, Jacob Nuxoll reached on a flare that dropped in for a his and Funke walked to load the bases. Baerlocher then crushed the ball to deep centerfield and circled the bases for a grand slam homer. In the fourth inning Nuxoll led off getting hit by a pitch and Funke walked for the third time. Baerlocher then slammed a pitch to deep right field for a triple to complete the cycle with 2 more runs scoring. He then scored on Riener’s single to left. In the fifth Prairie subbed in some bench players and still added 5 more runs as Sam Forsmann and Chris Schumacher picked up a hit apiece. On the mound Riener pitched first 4 innings, his first work off the mound in a game situation in 2 years, and allowed just 3 hits and 1 run with 8 strikeouts, 1 walk and 1 hit batsman. C.J. Rieman pitched the fifth inning and had a rocky start giving up 2 triples and a double but then settled down, getting 3 ground outs to end the game. Prairie had 15 hits in the game led by Baerlocher. Doyle had 2 singles, Riener a double and single, Frei a double and Arnzen, Tyler Crane, Mat Forsmann, Sam Forsmann, Nuxoll and Schumacher had a single each. Prairie 2 4 5 3 5—19 15 1 Lewis County 0 1 0 0 3—4 9 4 Pirates win at Orofino Matt Baerlocher tossed a 1-hitter with 17 strikeouts as the Prairie baseball team opened their league schedule with a 13-0 win at Orofino Wednesday, March 24. Baerlocher had a rocky third inning as he walked the bases full with 1 out but then struck out the next 2 hitters to get out of the inning and then struck out the next 10 hitters to shut down any chance for the Maniacs. The Pirates put up 3 runs in the first inning then scored 2 in the fourth, 3 in the fifth and 5 in the sixth to end the game on the 10-run rule. Tyler Crane was the Pirates’ hitting star with 4 hits including a home. Chad Arnzen and C.J. Rieman had 2 singles apiece while Baerlocher hit a homer and Shane Doyle and Brent Frei each had a single. Prairie is 1-0 in the CIL after the win and 2-0 overall. Prairie 3 0 0 2 3 5—13 11 0 Orofino 0 0 0 0 0 0— 0 1 5 Baerlocher tosses no-hitter in tourney win The Prairie baseball team swept 3 games at the Orofino Tournament highlighted by a no-hitter by Matt Baerlocher in the championship game against Priest River. The tournament was held Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27. In the opening game Prairie broke open a close game with a 7-run fifth inning as they beat Bonners Ferry 11-3 on Friday night. On Saturday they beat Potlatch 6-0 before beating Priest River 2-1 in the championship game. Prairie answered right back though with 3 runs of their own as Shane Doyle led off with a single and stole second. Jacob Riener walked and Baerlocher was hit by a pitch. Mat Forsmann beat a pitch into the ground in front of home plate with Doyle scoring and the pitcher’s attempt to get the force at the plate went by the catcher with Riener scoring on the play as well. Baerlocher wound up at third and came in to score on a wild pitch. Prairie might have scored more in the inning but Prairie’s coaches weren’t allowed along the baselines because they didn’t have team uniforms on. They’d given them to players due to the larger than usual turnout this year. That led to an out at third when Doyle, acting as third base coach did more than just put up a stop sign to hold Forsmann at third on Chad Arnzen’s single. Forsmann was called out on the play and it cost Prairie a run as he might have scored on Jacob Nuxoll’s infield single that followed. Prairie added a run in the third when Forsmann led off with a walk, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a passed ball. Bonners Ferry picked up a run in the fourth to cut the lead to 4-3, where it stood until the bottom of the fifth. Tyler Crane led off with a double off the fence in right. Arnzen and Nuxoll walked to load the bases and C.J. Rieman pounded a double to the gap in left that scored 2 runs. Kevin Funke followed with a double to center that scored 2 more runs. Doyle was hit by a pitch and Baerlocher walked to load the bases. Then with 2 out, Crane hit his second double of the inning, this time to the gap in right field, that picked up 3 runs. On the mound meanwhile Forsmann pitched the first 4 innings and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits with 5 strikeouts, no walks and 2 hit batsmen. Rieman pitched the final two innings and allowed no runs with 4 strikeouts, 3 of them called third strikes on a wicked curveball he had working for him, 1 hit and 2 walks. Prairie had 10 hits with Crane collecting 2 doubles, Doyle 3 singles, Rieman and Funke a double each, and Forsmann, Arnzen and Nuxoll a single each.  Prairie
scored 2 runs without benefit of a hit in the first inning as Doyle reached
on an error and Riener walked. Baerlocher forced Doyle at third but Forsmann
reached on an error to load the bases. Arnzen then reached on the inning’s
third error with Riener scoring. Nuxoll then walked to force in the second
run.
Two more errors contributed to 2 more runs in the second inning. Funke reached on an error and Doyle walked. Riener reached on an error to load the bases. Baerlocher then singled down the left field line to score 2 runs. Prairie then tried a double steal with Riener called out at third after colliding with the third baseman who had to leave the game with an apparent concussion. Prairie tacked on two more runs in the fourth as Doyle singled up the middle, stole second and moved to third on a passed ball. Riener then singled him home. Baerlocher was hit by a pitch and Forsmann moved up both runners with a ground out. Riener wound up scoring on a wild pitch. On the mound Riener went the distance allowing no runs on 4 hits with 8 strikeouts. He pitched into and out of trouble twice as he stranded runners in scoring position twice. In the second Potlatch put the first two runners on but a fly ball out to center, a line out to short and a ground out to second left them stranded. In the fourth Potlatch had the bases loaded with 2 outs on a single, walk and hit batsman but Riener recorded a strikeout to end the inning. Potlatch put their leadoff hitter on in each of the final two but double plays cleaned the bases each time. Prairie had 4 hits with Rieman collecting a double and Doyle, Riener and Baerlocher a single each. Baerlocher tossed a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts while 3 Priest River pitchers limited Prairie to just 1 hit with 10 strikeouts. Both sides put up zeroes on the scoreboard for five innings as it was a double no-hitter until the top of the sixth. Doyle was hit by the first pitch of the sixth inning and stole second. He went to third when the catcher’s throw went into centerfield. Riener followed with a walk and stole second. Baerlocher then picked up the game’s only hit as he doubled down the left field line, scoring both Doyle and Riener. Forsmann was then hit by a pitch and Priest River changed pitchers. The new pitcher recorded 3 straight outs to end the inning. Going into the bottom of the sixth, Baerlocher had allowed just 2 baserunners, a first inning leadoff walk and a hit batsman in the fourth. Priest River almost scored in the first inning when the leadoff man stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He tried to score on the play but Doyle got the ball back to Baerlocher at home and the runner was called out. In the bottom of the sixth, Baerlocher walked the Priest River leadoff man again, this time with 2 outs. The following hitter grounded to second for what appeared to be an inning ending play but the throw was dropped at first and when the runner tried to go to third the throw over got away and allowed the runner to score. Baerlocher recorded a strikeout to end the inning. With the no-hitter still intact, Baerlocher wanted to finish it and allowed a walk in the seventh but picked up 2 strikeouts and a groundout to first to complete the gem. Baerlocher allowed 2 walks and a hit batsman in addition to the 16 strikeouts. With the wins Prairie improves to 5-0 on the season and now are off until April 6 when they’re scheduled for their first home game against Potlatch. Vs. Bonners Ferry B.F. 2 0 0 1 0 0— 3 5 3 Prairie 3 0 1 0 7 x—11 10 1 Vs. Potlatch Prairie 2 2 0 2 0 0 0—6 4 1 Potlatch 0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0 4 5 Vs. Priest River Prairie 0 0 0 0 0 2 0—2 1 2 P.R. 0 0 0 0 0 1 0—1 0 1 
The wrestling awards banquet was held Wednesday, March 24. Award winners from left are Logan Lustig, most inspirational; Alex Matson, senior medal plaque; Nick Uhlenkott, most pins, co-captain and co-most outstanding; Shane Poxleitner, co-most outstanding and most improved; and Cody Gehring, co-captain. April 6th Home Potlatch 4:30 April 13th Away Grangeville 4:00 April 16th Home C.V. 4:00 April 20th Away Kamiah 4:00 April 22nd Home Orofino 5:00 April 23rd Home Grangeville 4:00 April 27th Away Potlatch 4:00 April 29th Home Lewis County 4:00 April 30th Home Kamiah 4:00 May 3rd Away C.V. 4:00 May 7th-15th Away District Tour. (Orofino) TBA May 20th- 22nd Away State Tour. (Orofino) TBA |
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