Bees bash Bruins behind Bowen, survive to play again Friday night

IDAHO FALLS — Bonneville would have preferred to use standout pitchers Carter Bowen and Brock Bowman in the state semifinal and finals. But after losing Thursday’s opener, the Bees will need both of them to win Friday just to qualify for championship Saturday.

Bowen did his job in the early game Friday, striking out 10 and allowing just five hits in a complete game shutout, leading the top-ranked Bees to an 8-0 victory over No. 3 Twin Falls.

After the game, head coach Ryan Alexander reflected on his star, who shone as bright as ever in his last start as a member of the Bees. Alexander said that Bowen started as a freshman and has grown steadily over the last four years, securing himself as a win-day type of staff ace.

“He’s just continued to get better,” the coach said. “He’s matured, emotionally, which has been fun to watch. … There’s a little peace of mind, there’s definitely peace of mind when you throw him out there.”

Bowen, Alexander said, has featured a fastball in the high-80s, touching 90, with a slider and a changeup. His last pitch Friday, a swinging third strike to finish the game, had a release speed of 91 mph, according to Melaleuca’s stadium trackman.

Catcher Tyson Christensen said that, in addition to the eye-catching velocity, Bowen’s heater had “a lot of movement” and his slider was “on point” all game.

“And it’s effortless,” Alexander said of Bowen’s stuff. “That’s the thing, he’s just now starting to evolve as a pitcher … he’s got a lot of room to grow, I don’t even think he’s close to his ceiling. That’s scary.”

Bowen, entering the final pitching outing of his Bonneville career, was 4-0 with a 0.61 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 23 innings.

His catcher, the way it has been most of his high school career, was Christensen, who spoke about working with Friday afternoon’s starter and Friday night’s likely starter, Bowman, who currently boasts a perfect 7-0 record with a 2.44 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 37-1/3 innings.

“It’s amazing,” Christensen said. “I’ve grown up with both of those guys, I know a lot about them, and know that they have my back and I have theirs.”

Along with his pitching dominance, Bowen recorded two hits and drove in three runs to pace the Bonneville offense. Christensen reached base three times, on an infield single, a walk and a Twin Falls error to start the game. His spot in the batting order scored three runs, with pinch-runner Kieden Lundell crossing the plate in Christensen’s place.

Christensen mans Bonneville’s lead-off spot, despite being less than speedy according to Alexander, because of his high on-base ability and the rule allowing teams to run for pitchers and catchers without needing to remove them from the game.

The senior backstop boasts a .404 batting average, second on the team to Bowen’s .434, and a team-leading .600 on-base percentage.

Led by the Christensen-Bowen battery, Bonneville scored two runs in the first, two more in the second and four in the third before cruising home with the win.

After the game, Alexander talked about the mood in the dugout after his Bees lost Thursday night to the 4-seed Skyview, saying the players were all pretty disappointed.

He used his postgame speech on Thursday to encourage resilience, then woke up at 6:30 a.m. Friday and texted the team to tell them that the sun had risen on a new day.

If any 5A team understands that a loss does not eliminate them its the Bees, who lost in the semifinal last year before winning three times on championship Saturday to secure the title.

Christensen said that having that experience was “huge,” as the current players who were part of that comeback used it as a rallying cry and encouragement for those who weren’t on the squad last year.

“We had a whole bunch of juice in the dugout, and that’s the biggest thing right now: we need to hold that juice going forward,” he said.

Now, the Bees will wait for the outcome of Friday afternoon’s showdown between Skyview No. Sandpoint. Bonneville will face the loser in an elimination Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.

Alexander said that his team will enter the game with a slight momentum edge, having gotten some rest after a win, versus a team that will have to stay on the field after a loss to play another game.

“To jump right back on the field is tough,” he said, “it’ll check your toughness and your resiliency.”