The Bushnell-Prairie City High School baseball team opened a new week Monday, making the trip north to Sherrard for a non-conference contest.
Unfortunately for the Spartans, the host Tigers prowled away with a 20-5 victory in four innings.
B-PC led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the third before the flood gates opened for the Sherrard offense. The Tigers scored 11 runs in taking a 14-4 lead.
After the Spartans scored once in the top of the fourth, the host answered with six runs in the bottom of the frame to end the game via the 15-run mercy rule.
Miles Strode doubled, knocked in two runs and scored once for B-PC. Dylan King also doubled with a run batted in and a run scored.
Alex Kohler had a hit and scored twice, while Landon Ferguson also had a hit and a run scored.
Ryan Adler had a hit with a run batted in for B-PC.
Kohler pitched two innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits. He struck out two and walked one.
Strode pitched in the third, allowing eight runs, six earned, on one hit and four walks. He also hit two batters.
Braxton Kempf pitched 1.1 innings, allowing nine runs, five earned on three hits. He struck out one, walked three and hit three batters.
Gavin Burton had three doubles, knocking in six runs for Sherrard.
Gavin Cottrell had two runs batted in and scored twice for the Tigers. Barrett Kincaid scored four runs and Cam Steckel three for the hosts.
On the mound, Kolby Butz allowed five runs, two earned, on five hits in four innings. He struck out eight, walked three and hit a batter.
On Tuesday, the Spartans returned to Prairieland Conference play, hosting LVC.
In a game that was much closer than the final score might indicate, the Miners notched a 12-3 victory.
LVC (6-1, 1-0 Prairieland) tallied single runs in the first and fifth innings in leading 2-0.
But B-PC (0-7, 0-2 Prairieland) put together a three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead.
The Spartans used two singles, two walks, two errors to score twice. B-PC then took the lead when Adler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing home a run.
But the LVC offense roared to life in the seventh as the first 10 batters all reached base on a combination of six hits and four walks.
The seventh hit of the inning brought home the final two runs of the 10-run rally as the Miners seized command.
LVC out-hit B-PC 9-4. Connor Palm had two hits and a run scored, while Ferguson added a hit and a run batted in. Adler also recorded an RBI and King scored a run, while Strode added a hit and a run scored.
Ethan Hyde pitched six-plus innings for B-PC. He allowed seven runs, six earned, on six hits. Hyde struck out four, walked five and hit three batters.
Jadyn Robinson pitched one inning, allowing five earned runs on three hits, walking three.
Brody Thum had two hits, including a double, with three runs batted in and a run scored for LVC.
Oscar McLaren tripled and knocked in two runs, while Owen Kelley doubled, also knocking in two runs for the Miners.
Thum pitched five innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out four and walked three.
Brett Pasley pitched one-third of an innings, allowing two unearned runs on one hit with one walk.
Kolby Cleer would pick up the victory, pitching the final 1.2 innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter.
The Spartans are slated to return to action Saturday with a non-conference contest at Knoxville (0-5-1). B-PC is then scheduled to host Princeville (3-4) on Apr. 6.
