| Pirates
eliminate Orofino
After two days of rainouts the Prairie baseball team got back into action by eliminating the host Orofino Maniacs 8-3 Wednesday, May 12. 
Matt Baerlocher started on the mound and dominated Maniac hitters for 4 innings allowing just 1 hit with 9 strikeouts and a walk. With an 8-0 lead after 4 innings, coach Pat Holthaus sent C.J. Rieman out to finish the game so that Baerlocher would have some innings available the next night against Potlatch if needed. Rieman had a rocky first inning allowing 3 hits and 3 runs but finished the game by retiring the final 7 hitters he faced. He had 5 strikeouts and 1 walk. In an odd twist, both pitchers only walk allowed was the first hitter they faced. Offensively Prairie struck for 2 runs in each of the first two innings. Shane Doyle hit a 1-out single to right center and went to second when the centerfielder had trouble picking up the ball. Matt Baerlocher following with a double down the left field line that scored Doyle. Baerlocher came in to score on Matt Forsmann’s 2-out single to left.  In
the second inning Brent Frei reached when the third baseman’s throw was
wide at first. Then with 2 outs Jacob Riener crushed the ball to left sending
a high towering fly that cleared the fence for a 2-run homer, his first
of the season.
Prairie added 4 more runs on the fourth, thanks in large part to 4 errors. Frei singled to left and advanced to second as the leftfielder let the ball get past him. With 2 outs, Riener reached on an error by the shortstop as Frei scored. Doyle walked and Baerlocher hit a line drive right at the leftfielder, who dropped the ball as Riener scored. With runners on second and third, Tyler Crane singled to right to bring home both runners. Prairie wound up with 8 hits in the game, 2 singles each by Crane and Forsmann, a homer by Riener, a double by Baerlocher and a single each by Doyle and Frei. Orofino 0 0 0 0 3 0 0—3 4 7 Prairie 2 2 0 4 0 0 x—8 8 0 Pirates earn state berth The Prairie baseball team earned their sixth straight state tournament berth with a 10-1 win over Potlatch Thursday, May 13, in the District third place game at Orofino. The Pirates jumped on Potlatch for 3 runs in the first inning and 2 more in the second and got outstanding pitching from C.J. Rieman and Matt Baerlocher. 
With one out in the first, Shane Doyle singled and Baerlocher reached on an error. Tyler Crane singled to load the bases and Mat Forsmann followed with another single to score Doyle. After another out, Chad Arnzen singled to score both Baerlocher and Crane for a 3-0 lead. In the second inning Jacob Riener hit a 1-out homer to almost the exact same spot as his homer the night before. Doyle followed with a single up the middle and Baerlocher scored Doyle with a double to deep left center. Prairie added 3 more runs in the fourth thanks in large part to 3 errors. With one out Riener walked and Doyle reached on an error. Baerlocher then hit a high fly to the leftfield corner where the fielder managed to drop the ball for an error to load the bases. With 2 outs Forsmann singled to left for 2 RBI and a third one scored when the fielder let the ball get past him for an error. Meanwhile Rieman was pitching a gem. He set down the first 11 Potlatch hitters of the game on 5 strikeouts, 5 groundouts and a lineout to short. Potlatch’s Tim Stuvland broke up the perfect game when he beat out an infield single. Rieman then induced another groundout as he didn’t allow a single ball out of the infield in his 4 innings of work. He was taken out after 4 innings because he hit the limit allowed after pitching 3 innings the night before. Baerlocher came on in the fifth and walked the first batter on 4 pitches then struck out the side. In the sixth Potlatch’s leadoff hitter reached when Doyle couldn’t hang on to the third strike and then couldn’t find the ball. The batter stole second and stole third and scored when the throw to get him at third went into left field.  Later
in the inning Stuvland got a hit off Baerlocher on a single up the middle.
Prairie added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh as Forsmann led off with his third hit of the game. He went to second on a groundout, to third on a wild pitch and scored on an errant pickoff attempt. With 2 outs Brent Frei walked and Jacob Nuxoll followed with a flare behind second that dropped for a single. Riener then singled to left to score Frei but Nuxoll was thrown out at third to end the inning. Baerlocher put out the side in order in the bottom of the seventh to end the game. Baerlocher allowed 1 hit and 1 unearned run with 7 strikeouts. Prairie had 12 hits led by Riener who had 2 singles and a homer and Forsmann who had 3 singles. Doyle had a pair of singles, Baerlocher a double and Crane, Arnzen and Nuxoll a single each. The Pirates will take a 10-5 record into the state tournament which starts Thursday, May 20 at Orofino. Prairie 3 2 0 3 0 0 2—10 12 1 Potlatch 0 0 0 0 0 1 0— 1 2 5 Pirates face Malad in state opener The Prairie baseball team will face Malad in the opening round of the state tournament at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 20 at Orofino. If they win they’ll face the winner of the Nampa Christian-Kamiah game at 4 p.m. on Friday. If they lose they’ll play the Nampa Christian-Kamiah loser at 10 a.m. In the other half of the bracket Glenns Ferry faces New Plymouth and Grangeville faces Butte County at 7 p.m. on Thursday. On Saturday the consolation championship will be at 10 a.m., the third place game at 1 p.m. and the championship game at 4 p.m.  Pirate Baseball Schedule May 20th- 22nd Away State Tour. (Orofino) vs. Malad at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 20. |
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