Bonners Ferry wins first state title in baseball

ONTARIO, Ore. — They had to weather a crazy seventh inning, as well as their starting pitcher getting struck in the face by an errant throw, but the Bonners Ferry Badgers are state baseball champs at last.

Senior Shayne Walker pitched 6 1/3 solid innings and sophomore Ty Bateman drove in a pair of runs as the Badgers beat the Homedale Trojans 4-2 on Saturday in the championship game of the state 3A baseball tournament at Treasure Valley Community College.

It’s the Badgers’ first state title in program history, and the first state baseball title for an Intermountain League team since Lakeland won in 1997.

“We’ve worked very hard the last couple years,” said Tom Turpin, in his 18th season as Bonners coach. “We’ve made ourselves relevant at state.”

Three years ago, the Badgers went 0-2 at state. Two years ago Bonners finished third and last year the Badgers lost in the championship game.

This year’s team, with 11 seniors, made the next step.

“We’ve been building up to this,” Turpin said. “I was fortunate to win one in high school on this same field (with Moscow in 1982), and its’s a surreal feeling to be able to share it with the boys.”

On Saturday, Bonners struck for two runs in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Chris Sabin and a fielder’s choice by Mason Eby.

Following the fourth inning, with the Badgers in the dugout preparing to hit in the top of the fifth and Homedale warming up on the field, an errant throw struck Walker in the face, right below the right eye, as he stood in the dugout. He went to the ground, and the game was delayed some 15 minutes. He was attended to and cleared to play by training staff at the field.

“It was a very scary moment,” Turpin said. “But he bounced back; he was awesome.”

“He was fine,” Turpin added. “He’s a hockey player; he’s a tough kid.”

In the fifth, Sabin singled and scored on Bateman’s double.

In the top of the seventh, Sabin was hit by a pitch, and eventually scored on Sabin’s sacrifice fly.

In the Homedale seventh, Walker allowed a single and struck out the next batter, then had to leave as he’d reached the pitch-count limit of 110. Sabin walked a pair to load the bases.

Facing the next batter, Sabin was called for a balk, but the batter swung anyway, and dumped a hit into right field. The play was ruled dead, but the runner on third scored.

With runners on second and third, the next batter reached on an infield single, beating the throw to first from shortstop Will Parr. A run scored, but the runner on second also tried to score, and Walker, now playing first base, threw home to catcher Brady Bateman, who tagged the runner for the second out.

The next batter popped up, and Sabin caught the ball just in front of the shortstop, and the celebration was on.

“They’re champions forever,” Turpin said.

Bonners Ferry 200 010 1 — 4 6 2

Homedale 000 000 2 — 2 5 3

Shayne Walker, Chris Sabin (7) and Brady Bateman; C. Wolfe and Deal. W — Walker. L — Wolfe. S — Sabin.

HITS: BF — B. Bateman 3, Sabin, Fess, T. Bateman. Home — Stoddard, Hilton, Collett, W. Wolfe 2. 2B — T. Bateman.