Greater Nevada (1-8) went 1-4 in its five games in four days, beginning with a 9-8 loss to Boise on June 7. The Badgers were shut out 10-0 by Rocky Mountain on Friday, June 8, and lost another one-run game on Saturday morning, falling 6-5 to Mountain View. Greater Nevada picked up its lone win later Saturday, beating Vallivue 15-5. In the tournament finale, the Badgers met up with Mountain View for a second time and lost 7-5.
"Even though the record doesn't show it, they have played pretty good this year," said coach Ron Espinola. "Except for a couple of games they have been in every game they have played. They are a young group getting some good playing time."
Boise built a 5-0 lead through three innings of play, holding Great Nevada to just one hit in that same time period. The Badgers climbed on to the board in the top of the fourth inning without the aid of a hit. The first five batters of the frame (Austin Bachik, Christian Dawson, LJ Achenbach, Troy Hardy and Trevor Zumwalt) walked. Bachik and Dawson eventually came around to score, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
The Barons countered with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to increase the gap to 7-2, only to see another Badger comeback in the top of the fifth. It was another walk - this time to Collin Doyle - that started the rally. After the next two batters struck out and grounded out, respectively, Greater Nevada put the next five batters on base. Dawson restarted the rally with a RBI single and eventually scored on a passed ball. Achenbach and Damon Miller then walked and later scored on a single by Mike Smith, making the score 7-6.
The Badgers grabbed their first lead in the top of the sixth, as Brian Shettler and Doyle plated runs. Greater Nevada could not hold the advantage, as Boise scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. Nate Nelson and Mickey Donovan reached base in the seventh but the Badgers could not plate the tying run.
Tanner Lecumberry started and received a no decision in four innings of work. Smith took the loss in two innings of relief.
In the loss to Rocky Mountain, Greater Nevada was held hitless, as Lecumberry was the only runner to reach base on an error in the second inning. The Avalanche broke a scoreless tie in the third with four runs and combined to score six more times in the fourth and fifth innings. Bachik suffered the loss for Greater Nevada.
The Badgers jumped to an early lead against Mountain View, as Smith led off the game and eventually scored on an error. The Toros countered with three runs in the bottom of the second, only to see Greater Nevada trim the deficit to a run at 3-2 in the top of the third, as Smith scored his second run of the game.
Trailing 4-2 going into the fifth, the Badgers tied the game with the help of some errant pitching by the Toros. Lecumberry and Dawson were walked to lead off the frame and came around to score. Mountain View retook the advantage at 5-4 with a single run in the bottom of the sixth, when down to its last at bat, Greater Nevada tied the game in the top of the seventh on an inside the park home run by Smith. The Toros led off the bottom of the seventh on a single, and the runner advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Mountain View plated the winning run on an error, allowing the runner from second to score.
Shettler started and went 5.1 innings for the Badgers and picked up a no decision. Jared Taylor was tagged with the loss, giving up the unearned run in the seventh.
Greater Nevada was in another tight game with Vallivue until it put up 11 runs in the sixth inning to pull away. The Badgers were ahead 4-3 when they sent 17 batters to the plate in the sixth inning. Mike Williams, Doyle, Bachik and Lecumberry each scored two runs in the frame.
Smith picked up the win, as he threw 5.2 innings, with Dawson getting the final out of the game.
In the tournament finale, Mountain View posted a single run in the bottom of the first and made that hold up until the fourth when Taylor walked with two outs and eventually scored to tie the game. The Toros responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth and did not trail again, adding two insurance runs in the fifth.
Greater Nevada plated single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and rallied with three in the seventh, but left two runners on base to end the game.
Shettler had a two-RBI triple in the seventh. Dawson pitched four innings and took the loss.
The Badgers return to Idaho this weekend for the Nampa Father's Day Classic. Greater Nevada was scheduled to play Nampa on Thursday. The Badgers play twice today, beginning with Mountain Home at 2:30 p.m. and IF Rangers at 5 p.m. The team returns to the field Saturday to play Kuna at 9:30 a.m. Its Sunday opponent has yet to be decided.
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