Lady Pirates take second at District
The Prairie Lady Pirates earned a trip to the State Tournament this weekend at Caldwell by finishing second at the District Tournament. First they had to make it to the District Tournament as they beat Lapwai 15-10 Wednesday, May 12 in a play-in game at Cottonwood. On Thursday, May 13 at Genesee they opened District by Knocking off #2 seeded Kendrick 18-13 to earn a state berth. In the District Championship game later that day they lost to Potlatch 1-11 to earn second at District.
State will begin at the Caldwell Quad at 10 a.m. MDT Friday, May 21. Prairie will play Rimrock, the third place team from District 3. If they win they would play District 3 champion Notus at noon MDT. If they lose they would play at 2 p.m. in a loser-out game.
In the play-in game against Lapwai that was delayed a day due to illness on the Prairie team, the Lady Pirates built a big first inning lead and then held on to win.
Lapwai got a 2-out hit in the top of the first but didn’t score.
In the bottom of the first Madison Shears led off with a bloop single that dropped just out of reach of the shortstop. She stole second. Mackenzie Key walked. Eve Uhlenkott then hit a grounder that was misplayed for an error allowing Shears to score. Three wild pitches allowed both Key and Uhlenkott to score.
Tara Schlader and Riley Enneking both walked and Gracie Farr was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Laney Forsmann and Ember Martin each picked up an RBI on a bases loaded walk. Farr scored on a wild pitch but injured her ankle as she caught a spike trying to slide into home plate. Shears walked to reload the bases. Key walked to force home Forsmann and Uhlenkott was hit by a pitch to force in Martin. Josie Remacle walked to reload the bases but Lapwai then got the final 2 outs to end the inning with Prairie up 9-0.
Lapwai got on the scoreboard in the second inning with a leadoff double, an error, a single and another error that led to 4 runs being scored.
Prairie put two runners on via walk in the second inning but didn’t score.
Key, who pitched the enite game for Prairie, gave up a single and a double in the third inning but stranded both runners as Shears caught a couple of pop-ups at shortstop and Forsmann gloved a hard-hit line drive to center.
Prairie added to their lead in the third. Eve Uhlenkott led off with a walk and Remacle followed by golfing a low pitch into left field for a single. Schlader singled to left to score Uhlenkott. Remacle scored on an errant pickoff throw by the catch. Schlader wound up getting put out in a rundown between home and third. Enneking, Forsmann and Martin were all hit by pitches to load the bases with the final out recorded as Enneking was put out at the plate trying to score on a passed ball.
Lapwai answered with 2 in the top of the fourth on a walk and 3 hits. Forsmann tied a record in the inning as she recorded all three putouts on fly balls to center.
Prairie came right back with 3 in the bottom of the fourth. Shears walked and stole second to lead off the inning. After an out, Eve Uhlenkott singled up the middle to score Shears. Remacle was hit by a pitch. Schlader then singled to right center to score Uhlenkott. Enneking ground out to second with Remacle scoring to make it 14-6 heading into the fifth inning.
In the top of the fifth Key gave up a 1-out walk but otherwise got through the inning unscathed. That left Prairie needing 2 runs to end the game on the 10-run mercy rule in the bottom of the fifth.
Martin reached on a 1-out walk and Shears scored her with a double to the corner in left. She was called out at third trying to stretch her double to a triple as Lapwai made a great play. That turned out to be a huge out as Key walked and Uhlenkott reached on an error. Remacle then grounded to short and was just nipped at first base to end the inning.
Given a reprieve Lapwai pounded the ball in the top of the sixth as the first 4 batters all reached. A hard hit single to left was followed by a rulebook double as the ball bounced over the fence. 2 triples followed plus a groundout that scored a run as Lapwai cut the lead to 15-10. Key then got a short fly ball to third and a fly ball to center to get out of the inning.
Prairie was unable to score in the bottom of the sixth.
In the seventh get struck out the lead off hitter and then induced a groundout to short. After a ringing double to left, she got the game-ending out as Amelia Uhlenkott, in at third since the first inning for the injured Farr, caught a short fly ball in foul territory.
Key gave up 10 runs on 13 hits with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk.
Prairie had 7 hits led by Shears who had a double and a single and an RBI. Schlader had 2 singles and 2 RBI. Eve Uhlenkott had a single and 2 RBI. Remacle and Amelia Uhlenkott each had a single.
Prairie took advantage of 22 free passes, 15 walks and 7 hit batters. 6 of the 10 players got hit by a pitch with Enneking getting hit twice.
Lapwai 0 4 0 2 0 4 0—10 13 3
Prairie  9 0 2 3 1 0 x—15   7 2
Prairie clinched a trip to state with an 18-13 win over Kendrick in their District opener at Genesee.
Prairie took an early lead as Shears led off the game with a walk and stole second and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Eve Uhlenkott.
Key got the side out in order in the bottom of the first.
Prairie went down in the order in the second and Kendrick tied it in the bottom of the inning. Their leadoff batter reached on an error and 2 more errors in the inning allowed her to score.
Prairie took the lead back in the third with 3 runs. Martin led off with a walk and Shears followed with a walk. Prairie then pulled off a double steal as both runners moved up. After there were two outs, Remacle walked to load the bases. Schlader then singled to score both Martin and Shears and Enneking followed with a single to score Remacle for a 4-1 lead.
The bottom of the third was a struggle for the Pirates. Key got a quick out then Kendrick put together 6 straight hits and added a triple after the second out was made to plate 6 runs and take a 4-7 lead.
Prairie came back with a run in the fourth on a 2-out rally. Shears was hit by a pitch with 2 outs and stole second. She scored on a single by Key to make it 5-7.
Kendrick got a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to push the lead back to 3 at 5-8.
Prairie was able to tie it in the fifth with 3 runs. Amelia Uhlenkott walked on 4 pitches with 1 out. Forsmann was hit by a pitch. With 2 outs Shears singled to load the bases. Key then singled to score Uhlenkott. Eve Uhlenkott was hit by a pitch to score Forsmann. Shears wound up scoring the tying run on a passed ball.
Three fly balls to the outfield, one to center, one to left and then 1 to right, set Kendrick down in order in the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the sixth Prairie took the lead back.
Schlader led off with a walk. After an out, Amelia Uhlenkott walked. After a second out Martin singled to load the bases. Shears then walked to force Schlader home with the go-ahead run. Key then doubled to score both Amelia Uhlenkott and Martin. Shears scored on a passed ball. Eve Uhlenkott singled and then Remacle double home both Key and Uhlenkott to make it 14-8.
In the bottom of the sixth Key gave up a 2-out single but no runs.
Prairie added 4 more runs in the top of the seventh to extend the lead to 18-8, all after 2 quick outs. With 2 outs, Forsmann was hit by a pitch and Martin singled. Shears was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Key was also hit by a pitch and then Eve Uhlenkott hit a 2-run single. Apparently the other 2 runs scored on passed balls.
Kendrick tried to rally back ion the bottom of the seventh. Key got a quick out then it was single, error, single, walk, double, fly ball out, single, single as Kendrick plated 5 runs to cut the lead to 18-13 before a fly ball to Eve Uhlenkott in left ended the game and sent Prairie to the championship game against Potlatch. It also clinched a berth at state.
Key gave up 13 runs on 17 hits with no walks and 2 strikeouts.
Prairie had 11 hits led by Eve Uhlenkott who had 3 singles. Key had a double and a single and 3 RBI. Martin had 2 singles. Remacle had a double and 2 RBI. Schlader had a single and 2 RBI. Enneking and Shears each had a single.
Prairie again benefitted from free passes as Kendrick gave up 18 of them while Prairie gave up none. There were 12 walks and 6 hit batters.
Of note Shears came to bat 6 times and was 1 for 1 as she reached 3 times on walks and twice via hit batter and scored all six times she reached base.
Prairie      1 0 3 1 3 6 4—18 11 7
Kendrick 0 1 6 1 0 0 5—13 17 0
District Championship vs. Potlatch
The District championship game was kind of anti-climactic as Prairie had accomplished the goal of qualifying for state by beating Kendrick.
They ran into the same pitcher that had shut them down a week earlier at Potlatch. Coach Jeff Martin said Prairie made better contact this time but the Loggers got some outstanding defensive plays from their shortstop.
Prairie scored first in the game as Enneking walked in the second inning, moved up on a single by Amelia Uhlenkott and scored on a 2-out single by Martin.
However that was Prairie’s only run and Potlatch answered back with 3 runs in the bottom of the second without a hit as Key hit one batter and walked 4 others.
Potlatch added 6 more in the third on 5 hits and 2 walks.
Prairie shut out Potlatch in the fourth and fifth innings but Potlatch plated 2 runs in the 6^th to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Prairie had 5 hits in the game, all singles. Shears, Key, Schlader, Amelia Uhlenkott and Martin each had a hit and Martin had the only RBI.
The previous outing against Potlatch’s Rebecca Butterfield saw Prairie record 14 strikeouts in 5 innings. This time they had just 7 strikeouts in 6 innings.
Prairie will take a 13-5 record into the state tournament.
Prairie    0 1 0 0 0 0—  1 4 4
Potlatch 0 3 6 0 0 2—11 9 3

16-at Culdesac, 4:30 p.m.-postponed to April 27 to be part of a doubleheader at Cottonwood
18-at Lapwai, 4:30 p.m., suspended after 6 innings tied at 21-21, to be finished April 15 at Cottonwood
25-at Kendrick, v & JV, 4 p.m., postponed

12-at Grangeville, (2) 4:30/6:30 p.m., won 13-11, 16-13
13-Nezperce, here, 4:30 p.m., won 40-0
15-Lapwai, here, resume suspended game from March 18, followed by regular game, 4:00 p.m., won 32-22 and 20-5
16-Kamiah/CV, here, 4:30 p.m., won 25-2
19-at Kendrick (2), 4:30/6:30 p.m. , won 13-10, lost 10-20
24-at Potlatch (2), noon, postponed by weather
26-Culdesac, here, (2) 4:00/6:00 p.m., won 11-1, second game rescheduled
29-at Nezperce, 4:30 p.m., won 20-7
30-Troy, here, (2), 3:30/5:30 p.m. Troy has cancelled the rest of their season
30-Culdesac, here, 4:00 p.m., Senior Night, won 18-3

3-at Genesee (2), 3:30/5:30 p.m. lost 6-11, won 24-4
6-at Kamiah/CV, 4:30 p.m., won 12-8
7-at Potlatch (2), 4:30 & 6:30 p.m., rescheduled from April 24, lost 3-16 and 8-10
12-District Play-in, #6 at #3 and #5 at #4, 4:30 p.m., beat Lapwai 15-10
13-District at Genesee, 3 and 5 p.m., beat Kendrick 18-13, lost to Potlatch 1-11, 2nd at District
21-22-State at Caldwell, Open against Rimrock at 10 a.m. MDT, Friday, May 21
games in italics are changes from the original schedule, some due to weather postponements, others due to shortage of umpires.