Prairie finally gets to play, wins opener

CRANBROOK, British Columbia - After getting their first two games rained out, the Prairie Cardinals finally opened their season by getting in one game and most of a second on Sunday before the rains took over.

The Cardinals beat Cranbrook 15-6 in the first game of a class AA North Idaho League doubleheader at Confederation Park. Prairie led the second game 3-1 after four innings before that game was called due to rain.

That game will be completed next Sunday, when Cranbrook is scheduled to visit Prairie. The teams will then play their regularly scheduled doubleheader.

In the first game Sunday, Bryson Smith and Cody Vandever each drove in three runs for Prairie, and Derek Tymesen drove in two runs and scored four.

Tony Davidson led off the fifth inning with a drag bunt single. He stole second and scored on Ryan Burnett's single, sparking an eight-run uprising.

"Playing small ball, which is what we're going to have to do, we did a great job," first-year Prairie coach Dustin Frank said. "We did a great job of playing the game right."

Kostas Garcia struck out five and gave up four hits in five innings for Prairie.

The Cardinals play a doubleheader at Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at McEuen Field.

FIRST GAME

Prairie 000 184 2 - 15 12 3

Cranbrook 103 000 2 - 6 5 5

Kostas Garcia, Dylan Charbenneau (6) and Cody VanDuyne; Jason Berg, name unavailable (7) and McCallum. W - Garcia (1-0). L - Berg.

HITS: Pra - Paige, VanDuyne, Tymesen 2, Smith, Vandever 2, Berger 2, Whitesitt, Burnett, Davidson. Cran - Juric, Vondracek 2, Bane, Johnson. 2B - Tymesen, Juric, Vondracek.

Coeur d'Alene at Trail, ppd., rain

TRAIL, British Columbia - Coeur d'Alene led Trail 3-1 after one inning when their scheduled North Idaho League class AA doubleheader was rained out at Butler Park.

Derek Priano hit a two-run single for the Lumbermen.

The games were rescheduled for July 15.