Prairie’s Batters Heat Up In State Legion Tourney

The Prairie Cardinals of Post Falls found out Saturday they could take the heat in the Idaho Class AA state American Legion baseball tournament.

The Cardinals pounded out 19 hits, their best batting production of the season, while blasting the Pocatello Rebels 19-7 in 90-degree heat during the opening round of the eight-team, double-elimination tourney at Harris Field.

“It says a lot about your team when we have out best output of the year at the state tournament,” said Cardinals coach Darren Taylor. “That was a good team we beat today.”

Pocatello (34-20), the District III champ, was held to nine hits.

The Cardinals, Region I runners-up (30-26), advance to meet the Trail, B.C., Eagles, the Region I champions (37-9), today at 4 p.m. Trail bombed the Treasure Valley Stars 23-16 Saturday afternoon in near 100-degree heat.

Led by Ryan Ries, all nine starting Post Falls players hit safely. Ries’ three-run homer in the left-field bleachers in the eighth inning gave the Cardinals the victory on the 10-run rule. It was Ries’ second home run of the game, and he finished 4-for-5 with two more singles and a total of six runs batted in.

Ries, who had hit only two home runs in 55 previous season games, said, “I just got a hold of the ball today. It was just one of those days.”

Catcher Josh Phelps also went 4-for-5 with three singles and a double.

“I knew we could hit, but when we hit all through the lineup, it makes a big difference,” Taylor said. “That was fun, especially when they step up in a big game like that.

Brett DeBoer pitched 6-1/3 innings and gained the win. He struck out eight, walked five and held Pocatello scoreless until the fifth inning. He was relieved by Ryan Novak, who recorded the last five outs.

“DeBoer threw just well enough to win,” Taylor said. “That is his trademark.”

Novak’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first accounted for all of the scoring in the first three innings. However, the Cardinals exploded for six runs in the fourth and knocked out Pocatello’s starter, Justin Schumacher.

The Cardinals batted around in the fourth inning. Ries slammed the first of his three-run homers with two outs.

Trailing 8-0, Pocatello rebelled for four runs in the fifth after two DeBoer walks, a single by Josh Choles and a triple by Joey Nugent. Matt Swallow followed with a double, but he was left stranded when DeBoer recorded two strikeouts.

Prairie added two runs in the fifth for a 10-4 lead. Pocatello came back in the sixth with a run on a double by Jason Oliver and RBI single by relief pitcher Brian Hagler.

Ries, DeBoer, James Ownbey and Brad Medlock each scored for the Cardinals in the sixth after each got base hits, boosting the lead to nine runs at 14-5.

Swallow led off Pocatello’s seventh inning with a solo home run. Crafts followed with a single then scored the final Rebels run after singles by Shawn Davis and Vinnie Benavidez.

Ries’ homer that ended the game scored Novak, who had walked, and Joel Gorham, who had singled home two runs himself.

The Cardinals left nine men on base while the Rebels stranded 10.

Other teams in the tourney are Nampa, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls and host Lewis-Clark. Action concludes Tuesday or Wednesday.

Prairie 19, Pocatello 7

Pocatello 000 041 20 - 7 9 2 Prairie 200 624 05 - 19 19 1

Schumacher, Hagler and Crafts; DeBoer, Novak and Phelps. W-DeBoer. L-Schumacher.

HITS: Pocatello - Choles, Swallow 2, Crafts, Davis, Benavidez, Hagler, Oliver, Nugent. Prairie - Bevacqua, Bridge, Phelps 4, Novak 3, Gorham 2, Ries 4, Ownbey, Medlock 2, DeBoer. 2B-Oliver, Phelps, DeBoer. 3B-Nugent. HR-Swallow, Novak, Ries 2.