Close but no cigar for the Plains-Hot Springs baseball team which came within one run of season win number two when a rally fell one run short this past Tuesday in Troy. 

After Plains took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, the home team plated three runs in the bottom of the second, giving them a lead they would never surrender, but almost did. 

Troy added single runs in the bottom of the second and third innings, upping their lead to 5-1 after four innings. 

Then, in the top of the sixth, Plains staged a rally that netted them three runs, cutting the Troy lead to 5-4.  But that rally came up one run short as Plains could not score in the top half of the seventh inning. 

Plains outhit Troy 11-9, with knocking in two runs while going 1-1 at the plate. Teammates Matthew Wyatt and Wyatt Butcher had two hits and drove in one run each for the Savage Horsemen. Zane Allen also had a two-hit day for Plains, as did Matthew Thurston. 

Three Troy players had two hits each for the Trojans. 

Thursday evening in Plains, Bigfork jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after two innings of play and never looked back. 

Plains pushed a lone run across the plate in the bottom of the fourth after Bigfork scored once in the top of the inning. 

The Vikings added two runs in the top of the sixth, then put the game out of reach with a nine-run outburst in the top of the seventh to secure the Mercy rule shortened game 17-1. 

Bigfork outhit Plains 15-2 and were assisted by six Savage Horsemen errors.  Beau Crabb and Butcher each had a hit for Plains. 

Ryder Hamilton was 2-3 with two RBIs on a triple and double for Bigfork, while teammates Ryeln Rodriguez and Sam Plummer had two hits and two RBIs each for the Vikings. 

Plains-Hot Springs had a game scheduled for yesterday (Monday, May 5) and host always tough Polson in Plains today (May 6).  The final game on their 2025 regular season schedule is set for Monday (May 12) at home versus Troy.