Pirates win first ever state baseball title
The Prairie baseball team won their first ever state baseball championship with a 5-0 win over Genesee Saturday, May 20 at Juliaetta.The baseball team with the state championship trophy.
To get to that point they beat Rimrock 10-0 on Thursday, Genesee 3-1 on Friday and lost 1-12 to Genesee on Saturday to set up the winner-take-all second championship game.
C. J. Rieman was named most valuable player of the tournament as he pitched 12 shutout innings in the tournament allowing just 8 hits with 16 strikeouts and no walks.
Vs. Rimrock
In the opener versus Rimrock, Prairie took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Mat Forsmann singled and C.J. Rieman walked to lead off the game. After 2 outs were made, Ronnie Chandler hit a shot that went between the shortstop’s legs into left field with both runners scoring.
In the bottom of the first Rimrock’s first hitter got on by way of catcher’s interference. He stole second and went to third on an error on the play. Rieman got out of the jam though with 3 straight strikeouts.
C.J. Rieman after receiving the MVP award.In the third the Pirates put the game away with an offensive barrage. 
Dan Riener led off with a majestic home run that cleared the fence in straightaway centerfield. After an out, Chandler reached on a passed ball third strike and Phil Henry followed with a homer to almost the exact same spot as Riener’s.
Eric Lerandeau walked and after a second out, Chris Schumacher hit his first homer of his career to straightaway left field.
Mat Forsmann then reached on a throwing error by the Rimrock third baseman. He stole third and Rieman was then hit by a pitch. Ryan Daly went in as a courtesy runner for Rieman and he and Forsmann pulled off a delayed double steal. Daly took off trying to draw a throw and when the throw was made, Forsmann stole home to make it 8-0.
Prairie added 2 more runs in the top of the fifth to get the 10-run margin that ended the game after 5 innings. Lerandeau walked to lead off the inning and Schumacher beat out an infield single. Mat Forsmann then reached on an error as Lerandeau scored. Rieman then singled home Schumacher.
Rieman’s only difficulty on the mound came in the bottom of the fourth. Rimrock had 3 straight singles, the only hits of the game of Rieman. The first though was caught stealing and Prairie got out of the inning on a double play. The hitter grounded to Henry at second who had to come in on the play, he flipped the ball back to Forsmann at short who then threw to Schumacher at first to complete the double play.It was a home run barrage in the third inning against Rimrock as Dan Riener, Phil Henry and Chris Schumacher watch their homers.
Prairie scored their 10 runs on just 6 hits with 6 Rimrock errors contributing to the scoring.
Schumacher had a homer and a single, Riener and Henry each had a homer and Mat Forsmann and Rieman each had a single.
Mat Forsmann was on base all four times he was up but reached 3 times on infield errors.
Prairie        2 0 6 0 2—10 6 1
Rimrock     0 0 0 0 0—  0 3 6
Friday vs. Genesee
The game Friday against Genesee set up the strategy for Saturday’s games. Mat Forsmann pitched a 2-hitter against the Bulldogs as Prairie won 3-1 and forced Genesee to play an extra game on Friday.
Mat Forsmann tossed a 2-hitter against Genesee.The game didn’t start well for the Pirates as Genesee’s first hitter popped up toward second but Henry couldn’t find the ball as it was coming at him right out of the sun.
An error put the next hitter on. After Forsmann got a strikeout, another error led to a run for the Bulldogs. A caught stealing and a strikeout got Prairie out of the inning without further damage.
Prairie came right back in the bottom of the first. Rieman reached on a 1-out single up the middle and Riener followed with a single.
Sam Forsmann then reached on an error with Rieman scoring. Henry was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Lerandeau walked to force in Riener.
After the defenses on both sides settled down and the pitchers took over.
Forsmann allowed just 2 baserunners total in the second through sixth innings and the one in the third inning wasn’t there very long. The leadoff hitter reached on an error as Schumacher bobbled a grounder to first but the baserunner was subsequently thrown out at second.
Prairie meanwhile had 1 baserunner each in the second and third but couldn’t get either past second base.
In the fourth Eric Daly led off with an infield hit but was forced at second on Schumacher’s sacrifice attempt. Schumacher was then caught stealing. Mat Forsmann walked but the inning ended on a flyball out.Jerry Uhling congratulates Mat Forsmann after his outstanding pitching performance.
Prairie added an insurance run in the fifth when Henry hit a 2-out homer to left field to make it 3-1.
Genesee mounted their first threat since the first inning in the top of the seventh. The leadoff batter singled to right and a hit batsman and an error loaded the bases with nobody out.
Forsmann then took over as he struck out the next three hitters, the third one looking, to end the game.
Prairie had 5 hits in the game. Henry had a single and homer while Rieman, Riener and Eric Daly each had a single.
Forsmann allowed just 2 hits with no walks, 2 hit batsmen and 11 strikeouts.
Genesee  1 0 0 0 0 0 0—1 2 1
Prairie     2 0 0 0 1 0 x—3 5 4
First Champ. Game
In the first game against Genesee Saturday, rather than throw Rieman against Genesee ace Tyler Souders, they would save Rieman for a possible second game when he would be going against Genesee’s third or fourth best pitcher.
Phil Henry homered in the Friday game against Genesee.Riener was asked to pitch the game for the Pirates.
He started well as a double play got him out of the first inning but he ran into trouble in the second. Two walks and 2 singles led to two Genesee runs.
In the third Genesee put the first two batters on but Riener got out of that jam with 2 strikeouts and a flyball out.
Two walks, a single and an error in the fourth led to two more Genesee runs and a 0-4 Prairie deficit.
Genesee added a fifth run in the sixth on a walk, hit batsman and a single.
In the seventh the wheels came off for the Pirates as 6 hits, a walk, an error and hit batsman led to 7 Genesee runs.
After 4 of those hits came in succession, Chandler was called on to finish the inning. Genesee would’ve had 8 runs in the inning but the runner missed third base and was called out on an appeal to end the inning.
Prairie meanwhile got baserunners on in the first second and sixth but couldn’t get the key hit.
They had 2 hits and a walk and Genesee made an error in the first inning but the Pirates couldn’t score as they made one out on a caught stealing and left the base loaded as a strikeout ended the inning.C.J. Rieman slides home with a run in Friday's game.
In the second Schumacher walked and Mat Forsmann single with 2 outs but again a strikeout ended the threat.
In the sixth Ben Schumacher and Eric Daly each singled after two were out but a popup to the catcher ended that threat.
They finally put a run on the board in the seventh as Mat Forsmann doubled to left to lead off the inning and scored on Sam Forsmann’s 2-out single to right center.
Prairie had 9 hits in the game led by Mat Forsmann who was 4 for 4 with a double. Riener, Sam Forsmann, Henry, Ben Schumacher and Eric Daly each added a single. The Pirates left 10 runners on base.
Riener allowed 10 hits and 12 runs with 8 walks and 2 hit batters and 5 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Chandler pitcher 2/3 of an inning allowing 1 hit and 1 hit batter with no strikeouts.
Genesee  0 2 0 2 0 1 7—12 11 1
Prairie     0 0 0 0 0 0 1—  1   9 2
Final Championship Game
Although Rieman and Souders had matched up twice already this season with Rieman winning both times, the strategy of saving Rieman for a second championship game worked out as he shut out Genesee and Chandler provided all the runs Prairie would need with a huge 3-run homer in the second inning.
Ronnie Chandler circles the bases after hitting a 3-run homer in the championship game.The championship game first had to wait out a shower that moved through Juliaetta just after the first game ended. It was nearly 2 hours before the field got put back into playing shape.
Genesee went with another freshman, Beau Dahman, who the Pirates faced in relief in the district championship game.
He set the Pirates down in order in the first inning but in the second inning Sam Forsmann worked a walk and Henry was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Chandler came up to the plate. He worked a 2-2 count and then connected with the ball clearing the fence in straightaway left field for a 3-run homer that put Prairie up and gave Rieman a cushion to work with.
Prairie added a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the fifth. Mat Forsmann was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and Rieman walked. Riener then singled to right to score Forsmann but was tagged out as he strayed too far off first on the throw into the infield. Sam Forsmann then singled to right center to score Rieman for a 5-0 lead.
Rieman meanwhile pitched himself out of trouble on a couple of occasions.
In the second inning a single and 2 errors loaded the bases with only 1 out. Rieman then induced a pop-up to second and Mat Forsmann tracked down a high fly ball toward short left to end the inning.
Genesee mounted their only other real threat in the top of the seventh. An infield single and 2 out double put runners on second and third and Souders at the plate. C.J. Rieman pitched 12 shutout innings at State.
Souders had homered off Rieman for Genesee’s only run in the first game between the two teams this year but this time Rieman struck him out to end the game.
Rieman had allowed 5 hits with no walks and 2 hit batsmen and struck out 7.
Prairie had 6 hits with Sam Forsmann having 2 singles, Chandler a homer and Rieman, Riener and Lerandeau a single each.
Prairie picked up their first state championship win in their fifth state championship game appearance (counting the game they lost to Genesee earlier.)
The Pirates end their season with a 17-5 record. Genesee had 5 losses this year with 4 of them coming to the Pirates. Two of Prairie’s 5 losses were to the Bulldogs.
Genesee  0 0 0 0 0 0 0—0 5 0
Prairie     0 3 0 0 2 0 x—5 6 2

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