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PREP BASEBALL: Priest River beats St. Maries for first time since 2014

MAX OSWALD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 day, 16 hours AGO
by MAX OSWALD
I grew up in the small town of Orwigsburg, Pa., where I resided all of my life before moving to Sandpoint. I attended Blue Mountain High School, where I participated in cross country and track and field, a sport that I ended up falling in love with. I went on to attend and run for DeSales University (with other brief stints at Susquehanna University and Elizabethtown College) and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport communication with a minor in sport management. I remember just how great it made me feel when I was mentioned in my hometown newspaper. I want to be able to give that feeling to every athlete in Bonner County, no matter how big or small their accomplishments are. As an athlete myself, I know how many hours of work are put in on a daily basis, and that hard work deserves to be recognized. It is my goal to cover as much of the Bulldogs, Spartans and Wampus Cats as I can. I want to work with every athlete, parent, coach, administrator and the community to ensure the best stories are published. | March 14, 2025 6:45 PM

Priest River 8, St. Maries 3

PRIEST RIVER — Sophomore Broden Collins was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI and three stolen bases, freshman Jacob Best struck out six of the eight batters he faced to close out the game, and the host Spartans defeated the Lumberjacks for the first time since 2014 in their season opener Friday at Priest River Junior High.

Down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning, Priest River put up a 4-spot to take control. Freshman Karsen Garvin brought home freshman Layton Goins, who was 2-for-3 with two singles, an RBI and three stolen bases on the day, via a groundout while freshman Madden Redinger stole home to knot the game up at 2. Following a pair of Spartan singles, Collins then hit a two-run single to center to build the lead to 4-2.

In the third, Goins hit an RBI single to right extend the lead to 5-2 while sophomore Dave Findley knocked an RBI double in the fifth to make it 6-3 ball game. Sophomore Colton Kuprienko, who was 3-for-3 with three singles, made it 7-3 score in the fifth with an RBI single to left. Collins then stole home in the sixth to add on an insurance run as the Spartans held on for the 5-run 3A Central Idaho League victory.

Priest River totaled 13 hits in the contest compared to St. Maries' six.

In addition to Best's great relief performance on the mound, sophomore Brayden Elder threw 1.2 innings in relief, giving up just two hits and striking out one batter. Collins and Priest River junior captain Logan Troumbley, who got the nod, combined to throw a solid first three innings to start the game off on the right foot.

It's the first time Priest River was able to celebrate with a win since March 31, 2022 when they defeated Newport 11-4.

Priest River (1-0) will look to keep things rolling Saturday when they travel to Orofino for a doubleheader.

St. Maries 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 3 6 1

Priest River 0 4 1 0 2 1 X — 8 13 1

PITCHING

PR — Troumbley: 1.1 IP, 1H, 1ER, 2BB, 1K. Collins: 1.2 IP, 2H, 1ER, 2BB, 1K. Elder: 1.2 IP, 2H, 0ER, 0BB, 1K. Best: 2.1 IP, 1H, 0ER, 0BB, 6K. SM — K. Brusseau: 4.2 IP, 11H, 3ER, 2BB, 5. Hammons: 1.1 IP, 2H, 1ER, 0BB, 0K.

BATTING

HITS: PR — Kuprienko 3, Collins 3, Goins 2, Paschetag 1, Troumbley 1, Best 1, Findley 1, Elder 1. SM — McMurrian 3, Lingo 2, Brown 1.

2B — Findley.

RBI: PR — Collins 2, Kuprienko 1, Findley 1, Goins 1, Garvin 1. SM — Hammons 1, Blackwell 1.

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