By Jean Schurman
The Bitterroot Bucs and the Bitterroot Red Sox met on the diamond in Florence for one last double header before the district tournament this weekend. That tournament will also be in Florence and will begin on Thursday.
The Red Sox took both games on Friday but the games were close throughout. In the first game, the Red Sox took the lead in the top of the third inning with three runs crossing the plate. They scored another in the fourth inning but so did the Bucs. The Bucs knocked another in to home in the bottom of the sixth inning and were only down by two runs. But the Red Sox got hot and scored six more runs to take the 10-3 win. Nate Loranger was the winning pitcher. Liam LeCoure took the loss for the Bucs.
“Nate (Loranger) gave us a lot more than I was expecting,” said Red Sox coach Rich Poliquin. “I was hoping to get three or four and he ended up going the distance. That was huge.”
Austin Ray and Hunter Omlid each had doubles for the Red Sox. Ray was 2-for-5 at bat with three RBIs. Omlid went 3-for-4 with one RBI. Jonathan Ringer also had a double. Justin Horvath and Kyle Norman each knocked in two runners for the Red Sox in the first game. The seventh inning runs began after a balk by LeCoure that moved Justin Nixon to third base. That set up Horvath’s RBI off of his double.
Rees LeSoine had an RBI double in the seventh inning to score LeCoure. Jake Scully and Johnny Lineback each had RBIs also in the first game.
Even though he’s the No. 4 pitcher for the Red Sox, Chase Conner struck out 11 batters in the second game while only allowing five hits in the 6-3 win for the Red Sox. “That was huge,” said Poliquin.
The Bucs scored a run in the first inning and then held the Red Sox off for three more innings. Horvath scored on a passed ball in the fourth inning but the Bucs clamped right back down. LeSoin was the pitcher for the Bucs. The Red Sox scored twice in the top of the fifth when Kyle Crossman and Austin Ray came home. Crossman hit a double to make it to second and then Ray knocked him home. Nixon hit Crossman in but was left on base at the end of the inning. The Bucs came back when Braxton McCullough hit a single with two outs to make it on base. Jake Finley hit a single next. LeSoine knocked them in before being put out at second base. The Red Sox came back and scored three times in the sixth inning to seal the win. Conner struck out three batters in a row in the bottom of the sixth inning and two more in the bottom of the seventh.
“You can’t make mistakes against good teams,” said Trevor Subith, coach of the Bucs. “We tied that game up late but you can’t make mistakes, that’s what it boils down to.”
Subith went on to say he was proud of how his team handled the Red Sox. “A couple plays don’t go our way and you know, with a good team, you can’t make those mistakes. Whether it’s a hit by pitch, whether it’s a walk, error, or double play, those plays come back to haunt you and I think we’re a tough team and it showed that.”
Subith thinks his team is playing right at their best heading into the tournament. They have played the Red Sox four times and been close with them all four times, including one win.
“I think going into it, our starting pitcher is as good as theirs. We have four very good arms (pitchers), and going into that fourth or fifth game, it’s going to come down to that fourth or fifth starter. I’m very confident. Our kids are confident we’re going to get to play on our home field, a huge boost.”
Poliquin said he was proud of his team as well and said that playing a team like the Bucs for their last regular season game was good.
“This was a good battle tonight. They are a good team. The Bucs are very well coached,” he said. “It’s nice to play these types of games because in tournament, that’s what it’s going to come down to. Ultimately, you’re going to be in some real close games.”
The district tournament will begin on Thursday in Florence. Watch the Bitterroot Star’s Facebook page for tournament pairings and scores.