Around the Horn: Malad the last local team standing in hunt for a baseball banner
Published at
EASTERN IDAHO — Only Malad’s title hopes survived a long Friday of games, with the Dragons recovering from a loss to Orofino to beat Melba and earning a spot in the 3A championship round.
The reigning 3A state champion Dragons will face Orofino for the title.
Marsh Valley and reigning 5A state champion Bonneville each won the early games Friday, earning spots in their respective division’s late games. But both suffered heartbreaking losses, bringing their seasons to an end.
The Salmon Savages finished their program’s first state tournament appearance with a shutout loss.
Here is what happened Friday in baseball state tournament play:
Bonneville Bees
Vs. Twin Falls
No. 1-seeded Bonneville gave the ball to senior Carter Bowen with their season and repeat championship hopes in the balance. And the hard-throwing righty did not disappoint.
Bowen tossed a complete game shutout, holding No. 3 Twin Falls to five hits and one walk while striking out 10. He also singled twice and drove in three runs to lead the Bee offense in an 8-0 win.
READ HERE | Bees bash Bruins behind Bowen, survive to play again Friday night
Vs. Skyview
Fellow senior Brock Bowman could not repeat what Bowen did earlier in the day — and what Bowman himself had done all season — suffering his first loss of the year, 11-7, as No. 4 Skyview eliminated the Bees.
READ HERE | Bees stung by 8-run fifth in elimination game loss to Skyview
Marsh Valley Eagles
Vs. Cole Valley
The 3-seeded Eagles got a heroic effort from senior leader Tate Whitworth, who pitched all nine innings in a 4-3 elimination-game victory over Cole Valley Christian. Whitworth needed just 100 pitches to go the distance, allowing five hits and three unearned runs while striking out five and walking two.
He also made an impact on offense, going 3-for-5 with a game-tying RBI in the bottom of the ninth, setting the stage for a Cooper Curzon walk-off single.
Sophomore right fielder Mayan Noble left his imprint on the game as well, scoring from third on a sacrifice fly to shallow left field from Boston Sorensen to tie the game 2-2 with two down in the seventh.
Vs. Fruitland
The Eagles could not repeat that magic facing No. 1 Fruitland.
Marsh Valley needed three different pitchers to record 12 outs in an 11-1 run-rule defeat. Junior Denver Peterson took the decision, unable to finish the first inning.
Fruitland’s pitching, on the other hand, grounded the Eagle offense, holding Marsh Valley to one hit, an Ethan Anderson lead-off single in the fifth. Anderson scored when Noble reached on an error with two down in Marsh Valley’s final inning of the season.
Salmon Savages
Vs. Melba
The 4-seeded Salmon Savages’ outstanding season has come to an end with a winless appearance in the 3A state championships.
The Savages, behind dominant pitching and an explosive offense, enjoyed the best season in the short history of Salmon’s baseball program, culminating in a first-ever state berth. But offense never got going at the tournament, scoring four runs in a 7-4 loss to top-seeded Malad on Thursday and following that up with a 3-0 shutout loss to No. 3 Melba Friday afternoon.
Senior Cody Cox did his best to hold the Mustangs down until the offense could get rolling. Cox pitched all 6 innings, scattering eight hits and four walks, surrendering just three runs.
Salmon never got going though, despite a two-hit day from lead-off man Broc Matthews. Matthews tripled with one down in the sixth, but the Savages could not bring him in.
Malad Dragons
Vs. Orofino
After jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, the Dragons surrendered two runs in the third, five in the fourth and two more in the sixth en route to a 9-6 loss to No. 2 Orofino.
Hudson Daniels was good in relief of starter Dawsyn Peterson, holding the Maniacs to two hits while striking out two in 1-1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
Junior Easton Green and seniors Carter Carey and Holdyn Higley tallied two hits apiece to lead Malad, while Green and senior Cale Briggs scored two runs each in the loss.
Vs. Melba
Four different Dragons knocked in multiple runs, helping Malad secure a 13-5 elimination-game victory over Melba, earning a championship Saturday rematch with the Maniacs.
Get more sports news here