Badgers Late Rally Comes Up Short, Softball gets the Win

Photo: Nick Martin goes up for the ball as Sammy Villafana slides safely into second base

Varsity Baseball

The Bradshaw Mountain Bears made it two straight in sweeping the season series with the Prescott Badgers in a 4-3 final inning nailbiter in Prescott Valley. A good-sized crowd turned out for the 7pm start and bundled up the temperature dropped to around 50* by games end.

On This Day in History — 1912

Walter Benona Sharp, American businessman (born 1870) businessman, oil drilling pioneer (1870–1912) 🔗

Photo: Breken Herb won his first game of the season against Prescott

The nighttime pitchers duel saw Bears’ sophomore pitcher Breken Herb toss five innings allowing just four batters to reach base while striking out five. Badgers’ countered with senior Travis Gates who was equally impressive until cracks in the Prescott armor began to appear.

The game was still scoreless going into the bottom of the fifth, but that all changed with a walk, timely hitting, and costly error by the Badgers. Nitesh Patel led off with a walk after being down 1-2 in the count. A sacrifice bunt put Patel on second base. Sammy Vilfana hit a ball to right center that went off the fielder’s glove scoring Patel for the first run as Villafana ended up on third. Villafana scored on a passed ball for a 2-0 Bears lead. Dylan Lockwood singled to right and stole second and third, coming home after the catcher throwing error went past the third baseman and into left field for a 3-0 lead.

Dylan Lockwood came in to relieve Herb in the sixth inning and the Badgers loaded the bases. Lockwood kept things in check and was able to get a ground ball out to end the threat.

Kaden Lampe took over on the mound in the bottom of the sixth and the Bears managed to scratch out what turned out to be a big insurance run. A leadoff walk, and a pair of passed balls ultimately scored.

Trailing 4-0, the Badgers had one final chance and nearly pulled it off, but like last year leaving the tying and winning runs on base. Lockwood struggled with his control and walked two with another batter reaching on an error. Matt Hepperle walked with the bases loaded for the first run. After a sacrifice fly by Gates. Ashton Whitwell had the only hit in the inning, beating out a ground ball and picking up an RBI in the process to get the third run across. Lockwood was able to get a final strikeout to end the game leaving two Badgers stranded on the bases.

Photo: Travis Gates had a season high 11 strikeouts

It was another bitter loss for Prescott to their rivals and the third in the last four meetings. Gates took the hard luck loss while striking out 11 and not allowing an earned run, and said, “I left it all out there. Thought my stuff was really good and yet things happen that you can’t control. We really wanted to get this one and just came up short.”

Winning pitcher Breken Herb said, “I just went out there and wanted to throw strikes and get ahead. I have been looking forward to this chance since last year and wanted to make the best of it.” After losing six straight, and a record of (3-14), the Bears have now won two in a row. Herb said, “We were locked in at practice coming into these games with Prescott and wanting to just get better because we know we are a better team than our record is. After tonight we know we are definitely headed in the right direction.”

The Badgers fell to #15 in the latest AIA Division 4 Rankings, while the Bears moved up to #23. Flagstaff is the highest naked Grand Canyon Region team at #4.

Bradshaw Mountain now (3-0) in the Grand Canyon Region and (5-11) overall, will host Mohave on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at noon. Prescott falls to (4-2) in the GCR, (11-7) overall and will travel to Kingman to face Lee Williams on Tuesday at 3pm.

BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN BEARS 4, PRESCOTT BADGERS 3

Innings- 123 456 7 – R H E

Prescott 000 000 3 – 3 4 2

Bradshaw Mountain 000 031 x – 4 6 2

WP:Herb
LP:Gates

GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS
School- W-L W-L

Flagstaff 4-0 9-4

Bradshaw Mountain 3-0 5-11

Prescott 4-2 11-7

Mingus 2-3 9-9

Coconino 2-3 6-12

Lee Williams 1-3 6-9

Mohave 0-5 0-13

SCOREBOARD

Bradshaw Mountain 4, Prescott 3

Coconino 12, Mohave 0, 5 innings

Flagstaff 18, Mingus 2, 5 innings

Wickenburg 15, Bagdad 2

Varsity Softball

Photo: Kaylin Pinarelli gave up just 2 runs in 10 innings while striking out 18 against the Bears in the last two games

Prescott’s freshman pitcher Kaylin Pinarelli allowed just one run and four hits as she threw a complete game to beat the Bradshaw Mountain Bears 6-1 to split the season series between the two rivals.

The Badgers jumped on Bears pitcher Alexa Coley early, jumping on top 4-0 after one inning.

Prescott added a run in each of the second and third innings before Coley shut them down their final three times at bat.

After Pinarelli had retired 13 straight, the Bears scored their only run when Jaslene Valentine knocked in Laila Silva in the top of the sixth.

Pinarelli said, “Coach brought me in to pitch in the last game over there and I did well and that gave me confidence. Today I had lots of confidence and we took care of them. ”As for the team,” Pinarelli added, “Now we have the mindset to do it for Randall as he is retiring soon so this is his last season. We just need to continue to focus and work hard and get more wins.”

Only Mariah Smolnikar of the Badgers had more than one hit. Smolniker had a single and a triple and scored twice. Kaylin Pinarelli had an RBI single as did Lilly James.

The Badgers played a lot better defensively than they did in the 14-6 loss at Bradshaw Mountain on Monday, where they made six errors.

Prescott coach Randall Bryan said, “We are young and I think the girls are beginning to figure out that they are pretty good. The main thing is they want to do well, they want to compete and get out there and do their best. I think they were a little embarrassed the other day but that is the way things go and sometimes in rivalries things happen, but I knew we were going to win today, well at least pretty sure.” About his pending retirement, Bryan said, “Well I have been doing this for 11 years now and I think it is time. There is so much about this I love and there are some things not so much. We are young and I am leaving the team in a good place and we have good assistants who could take over. I told the athletic department that I would be available if they needed me to come back as an assistant.”

The Badgers climbed a spot in the latest AIA Division 4A poll to #5, one place behind #4 Flagstaff, while the Bears come in at #15.

Prescott (10-4) overall, (4-1) in the Grand Canyon Region will play at Lee Williams on Tuesday at 3:30pm. Bradshaw Mountain (7-5), (3-2), will travel as well to face Poston Butte on Monday at 3:45pm

PRESCOTT BADGERS 6, BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN BEARS 1

Innings- 123 456 7 – R H E

Bradshaw Mountain 000 001 0 – 1 4 4

Prescott 411 000 x – 6 7 1

WP:Pinarelli

LP:Corey

GRAND CANYON REGION STANDINGS

School- W-L W-L

Flagstaff 4-0 15-4

Prescott 4-1 10-4

Coconino 3-2 12-6

Bradshaw Mountain 3-2 7-5