SPIRIT LAKE — A rain delay, extra bus ride and one-day postponement due to darkness were all worth it for the Bonners Ferry baseball team.

The Badgers scored four runs in the seventh inning to tie Timberlake at dusk on Tuesday, in a road game delayed 90 minutes due to a downpour in Spirit Lake.

Darkness caused the Intermountain League matchup to be suspended after seven innings, but when the game resumed Wednesday afternoon, the Badgers scored in the top of the ninth innning, then held on for an 8-7 win over the Tigers.

Chris Sabin’s solo home run was the difference for Bonners Ferry.

With the victory, Bonners Ferry finishes 8-1 in the IML, one game better than Timberlake. The regular season league title means the Badgers host next week’s district tournament, beginnning Tuesday. Timberlake will play third-place Kellogg at 2 p.m., with the Badgers hosting Priest River in the second game.

Badgers sweep Kellogg in IML doubleheader

The Badger baseball team traveled to Kellogg on Saturday, April 28, and won two games over the Wildcats, winning 16–1 and 12–0 in a pair of five-inning games. The wins improved their overall record 12–4 and 7–1 in IML play.

GAME 1: Bonners Ferry 16, Kellogg 1 (five innings)

Sophomore Ty Bateman had two home runs and 5 RBI while senior Shayne Walker added a 3-run home run in the 16–1 rout of the Wildcats.

The Badgers scored nine runs in the first inning on six hits including Walker’s 3-run homer.

Bonners Ferry added two runs in the second from Ty Bateman’s first home run, and scored two runs in the third inning highlighted by singles from Seth Bateman, Chris Sabin and Mason Eby. Ty Bateman’s second home run came in the 5th inning after Eby reached on a hit batter.

Will Parr (3-2) got the on the mound for the Badgers, allowing two hits and striking out five in two innings, while Sabin pitched three innings, striking out six, walking four but not giving up a hit.

GAME 2: Bonners Ferry 12, Kellogg 0 (five innings)

Mason Eby was the winning pitcher, giving up a leadoff single to Kellogg in the first inning and then proceeding to strike out six and walk two. The win improves Eby’s record 4–0 with no runs given up.

The Badgers scored one run in the first, two runs in the second, two more runs in the fourth inning and then exploded for seven runs in the top of the fifth inning to secure the victory.

Brady Bateman led the offense, hitting a 2-run triple, while Walker, Sabin, Jared Fess, Eby, Ty Bateman and Will Parr all had hits for the Badgers.

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The Hagadone News Network contributed to this story.