The Prescott Pirates advanced to the WBA state tournament Sunday for the third straight year and sixth time in eight years.  They will play River Falls Friday night at 7:30 in River Falls, which should be a mad house.  Here is how the weekend in review.

Saturday Prescott beat Merrill 2-1 on terrific pitching performance by Eric Monson and great defense that spun three double plays.  In the 5th, Travis Nuebek plated Mike Lytle on a double to left field to put us up 1-0.  Nick Johnson singled home Billy Brookshaw to make it 2-0 in the 6th.  Unfortunately the Pirates left a dozen or so runners on base to make the game tighter than it should have been.

Sunday Prescott played Onalaska for the right to advance to State.  Alex Ross got the offense rolling early with a lead off double and scored on Johson’s single to Center.  Ross then singled to center with two outs to put the Pirates 2-0.  Then, Ross “scored” on Johnson’s double to deep right field.  What took place was nothing short of comedic.  Ross rounded third, stumbled, flipped, deeked the catcher and literally walked around him to make the score 3-0.  It was a crowd pleaser for sure.  What wasn’t a crowd pleaser was an awful call on a tag play at home that went the way of Onalaska.  With runners on second and third, Onalaska hit a single to left center where Johnson threw home to Nuebek.  Nuebek applied the tag, spun to throw to second and dropped the ball on the transfer.  Fortunately for Prescott, Adam Barta was able to wiggle out of the inning keeping the score at 3-2.  In the 8th, the Pirates had the bases loaded when Nuebek hit a triple to deep right to make the score 6-2 and put the final dagger in what was a very close game.  Barta pitched a great game keeping their hitters off balance the entire nine.  Our defense was again superb.  Lytle stole the show with nine put outs in right field and two big time run saving catches on well struck balls the right center gap.  Ryan Burmeister also had a terrific play at short and Nuebek picked a guy off 1st base.

See you in River Falls Friday!

The Pirates were on the road twice this weekend as they played Ellsworth and Bay City to finish off the 2014 SCVBL regular season.   On Friday versus the Hubbers, the Pirates bats were cold early as the Spaniard kept us off-balance.  In the 3rd inning, Scott Dwyer put the Hubbers up 2-0 on a home run to left center.  The Pirates tied the game up in the 5th on Derek Munsen’s 2 run double, but the Hubbers jumped back in the lead in the bottom of the inning on another home run.  In the 7th with and runners on first and second, Britton Wolf relieved the Spaniard  to face off versus Nick Johnson.  Johnson promptly delivered a single to center scoring Alex Ross to tie the game at 3.  The Pirates took the lead in the 8th inning when Jake Hintz scored the eventual winning run on another double by Munsen.

Adam Barta started and finished the game for the Pirates as he pitched his second consecutive complete game, giving up three earned runs while striking out 6.  He kept a good hitting lineup at bay got better as the game went on.

Sunday the Pirates were in Bay City to clinch the SCVBL championship.  Eric Monson was on the mound for Prescott and he dominated the Bombers.  There were a few struggles early with command but he was able to induce three double plays and only one base runner reached third base.  He, like Bart, got better as the game went on and also threw a complete game, but this variety was a shut out.

The bats are in dire need of a PED or maybe an energy drink.  Facing back to back thumbers really hasn’t helped.  Brookshaw hit a double to left field that scored two runs to put us up 2-0.  Two bombers errors allowed two more runs to score and that is all I have to say about our offense as it has been pretty offensive to watch lately.

Prescott finds out Tuesday where and when playoffs will be.

On Sunday, the Pirates traveled to Menomonie to take on an undefeated Eagle squad.  Mark Moriarty started for the Pirates and pitched five innings, giving up one run on a handful of hits but unfortunately he had to leave to coach a game in La Crosse.  Eric Monson came in for Moriarty and that is where the game went from intense to crazy.

In the top of the 8th inning, Ryan Burmeister walked to lead off the inning.  Alex Ross then bunted down the 1st base side where the Eagle pitcher bobbled the ball and threw wild allowing Burmeister to scamper to third.  Billy Brookshaw tied the game up with a sacrafice fly to right field.

In the top of the 10th, Nick Johnson singled to center with two outs.  Jim French walked and Mike Brookshaw singled home Johnson on a really close play at home to give the Pirates their first lead.  In the bottom half of the inning, Menomonie had runners on first and second with two outs and an Eagle batter hits a ball down the third base line that hits the base, pops up over Billy Brookshaw landing in left field and allow the tying run to score.

In the bottom of the 11th, after a single and double, Menomonie had runners on second and third with nobody out.  Monson was able to strike out the next hitter for the first out.  The Pirates intentionally walked the next batter and played a five man infield.  The next hitter drilled one at Burmeister at shortstop where he fired home for the force out.  Monson was able to get the final out on a fly ball that ended another crazy inning.

In the top of the 13th, Brady Randolph singled up the middle and went to third base on Johnson’s single to right field.  Jim French put the Pirates ahead with a single to RF that plated Randolph and again, the Pirates lead.  Menomonie then tied the game in the bottom of the inning with the inning ending in a run down of Menomonie’s cat quick second baseman.

In the top of the 14th, Austin Tulip singled to left leading off the inning and Burmeister bunted him to second for the first out.  Alex Ross then tripled to dead center that scored Tulip and Ross scored on a wild pitch to put the Pirates up 5-3.  Of course, Menomonie would put two on in the bottom half of the inning but Johnson was able to induce a ground ball to third to end the debacle.

Fantastic game between two teams that should make some noise in the post season.

After Saturday’s loss to River Falls, the Pirates were ready to get back on the field to rebound from a tough game.  Adam Barta started on the mound for Prescott and threw great in the 7-1 victory.  Barta went all nine innings that included 8 strike outs and one run given up.  He set the tone from the beginning of the game giving the Pirates exactly what they needed.  The Pirates defense also played very well in turning three double plays and only committing one error.

Leading the Pirate offense was Alex Ross and Michael Brookshaw who had three hits each and combined five RBI.  Billy Brookshaw also had two hits and two SB’s.

The Pirates travel to Hastings Friday night to play in the annual River Rumble starting at 8 PM with Jesse Tollefson getting the start.

By Jason Strangis

The Prescott Pirates provided plenty of fireworks for their home fans last Sunday as they blasted Plum City 17-7 in seven innings.  The victory kept Prescott perfect in league play with a 10-0 record while boosting the team’s overall record to 13-2. It also kept Prescott undefeated at Firehall Field, where the Pirates are starting to feel almost invincible playing in their friendly confines.

Against Plum City, the Pirates got off to a fast start and took a 6-0 lead after the first inning. Many of Prescott’s runs were unearned, though, as Plum City committed several errors to give the Pirates early command.  But shortly after the Pirates had several defensive mistakes of their own, and the Blues scored five times in the second inning. Prescott made four errors in the inning and the Blues were suddenly right back in the game, trailing 6-5.

From there the Pirates settled down and started pulling away from their foes. Jared Powell got momentum back in Prescott’s favor when he hit a solo home run in the second inning and the Pirates were off and running.  Prescott added five more runs in the bottom of the fourth to lead 13-5. Billy Brookshaw highlighted the inning with a triple with two outs that scored two runs. Jim French knocked a double that scored two runs as well.  But the Pirates weren’t done tallying runs, coming up with two runs in the sixth inning and two more in the bottom of the seventh to end the game.

Overall, Prescott had 12 hits. Plum City went with three pitchers in the game, and all three struggled at times against Prescott’s strong offense.   Several Prescott players had impressive hitting performances. French stayed hot at the plate with three doubles. Logan Johnson smacked two doubles for the home team, and Brady Randolph had two hits and drove in a run.

Pitcher Eric Monson was on the mound for most of the game for Prescott. After Plum City scored five runs (many unearned) in the second inning to get back in the game, Monson held the Blues at bay the rest of the way, allowing just one more hit in six innings that he pitched.

By Jason Strangis

Slugger Jim French led the Prescott Pirates to a pair of big home wins last weekend.  On Saturday, French’s double in the sixth inning scored two runs and propelled Prescott to a 5-1 win over Ellsworth.  Then on Sunday, French provided late-game heroics with a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Pirates a dramatic 6-4 victory at Firehall Field.

It was a great weekend for the Pirates, who climbed to 9-0 in St. Croix Valley League play and kept ahead of their division rivals. First up, Prescott avenged an early-season loss to Ellsworth in the Plum City tournament. The Hubbers dominated in Plum City with a 6-2 victory over Prescott in the championship game.

But for the rematch at Firehall Field, Pirates pitcher Eric Monson delivered a strong performance on the mound in Prescott’s 5-1 triumph. Monson, a hard-throwing lefthander, allowed just four hits the entire afternoon. He was backed up by solid defensive play from Prescott fielders.

Prescott took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Ellsworth tied the game on a solo home run by Jake Betthauser in the top of the fourth.  The Pirates scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to break things open, led by French’s clutch double.  Prescott added an insurance score in the eighth inning and held on from there.

Ellsworth (9-4 overall; 5-3 SCVL) had a chance to close the gap with Prescott in league play but the Pirates proved to be too strong that day.  One of Prescott’s leading hitters, Nick Johnson, said there is good rivalry between the Pirates and Hubbers.  “We are pretty evenly-matched teams,” said Johnson, who had three hits including a double against Ellsworth. Alex Ross added two hits with a double.

If the Pirates seemed pumped up and primed to beat longtime rival Ellsworth on Saturday, there was a much different vibe for Sunday’s game vs. the Elmwood Expos.

After failing to cash in on a good opportunity in the first inning, the Pirates fell behind Elmwood 4-0. Expos pitcher Cody Holden baffled Prescott batters for much of the afternoon and the Pirates were repeatedly frustrated at the plate.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Prescott finally got things going by scoring three times and closing the gap to just a run.

The score remained 4-3 in Elmwood’s favor until the bottom of the ninth. Jared Powell delivered a key one-out bloop single for Prescott, putting runners on first and second base with one out. French came up to the plate and knocked a pitch over the fence to help save the day for Prescott, giving the home team a feeling of relief as they stayed undefeated at Firehall Field this season.

While Prescott (12-2 overall) was playing with a different lineup compared to the previous day against Ellsworth, Pirates manager Brady Randolph credited Elmwood pitcher Cody Holden for a fine performance. Holden allowed just five hits the entire afternoon.  “He kept us off balance,” Randolph said.

Jesse Tollefson started on the mound for Prescott and allowed eight hits over seven innings.

By Jason Strangis

Three up, three down for the Prescott Pirates.  The Pirates went 3-0 last week to improve to 9-1 overall on the season. After beating Cannon Falls 4-2 and Osceola 5-2 on the road, the Pirates returned home last Sunday to face Hudson.

The bats were really cracking for the Pirates as they collected 14 hits in a 9-3 victory over the River Rats. Jared Powell highlighted the game as he hit a towering home run over the left-field fence to give Prescott a 4-1 lead in the third inning.  Alex Ross had a strong day at the plate with three hits including a double. Justin Tobias and Nick Johnson added two hits each with doubles, while Logan Johnson had a triple.  Jim French knocked out a double, and Mike Brookshaw also hit a double in his first appearance at the plate for the Pirates.

Prescott pitcher Jesse Tollefson kept Hudson in check for the first six innings before being relieved by Adam Barta, who preserved the victory.  Hudson had nine hits in the game but the River Rats were unable to put together any big scoring innings.

The Pirates, meanwhile, took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and scored in every inning except the fourth.

To accomodate for the Prescott High School playoff game, Cannon Falls has agreed to move our game from Wednesday to Tuesday starting at 7:30.

By Jason Strangis

Local rivals Ellsworth and Prescott faced off against each other in the title game of the Plum City Memorial Weekend tournament. The Hubbers came out on top, beating the Pirates 6-2 to claim the eight-team championship.  It was Prescott’s first loss of the season after five straight wins. The Pirates started the Plum City tourney with an 8-5 comeback victory over the Menomonie Eagles on Saturday afternoon.

The Eagles led 4-0 in the game and looked to be in control, but momentum changed in Prescott’s favor after a controversial call in the third inning led to four Prescott runs. After a double by Nick Johnson scored a run, Jared Powell launched a long ball toward the fence that was run down and snagged by Menomonie’s center fielder. But the umpire ruled he didn’t catch the fly ball, leading to a big inning for Prescott. Jim French and Ryan Burmeister drove in runs to tie the game 4-4 after three innings.

Menomonie added a run in the top of the fifth to go back in front 5-4, but the Pirates countered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to grab the lead for good.  In the top of the sixth inning, the Eagles had the bases loaded with two outs but failed to score. Prescott added two more insurance runs and held on for the victory.

The Pirates had six hits in the game but were helped by five errors from the Eagles.  Menomonie, meanwhile, had eight hits off Prescott pitcher Jesse Tollefson.

On Sunday, the Pirates had a much easier time in cruising past Elmwood 14-1. It was a total team effort as Burmeister, Austin Tulip, Jack Hintz and Michael Lytle led the way at the plate.  Pitcher Eric Monson threw five innings and allowed one hit.

In the championship game on Monday, the Pirates were finally beaten by Ellsworth. Adam Barta was on the mound for Prescott.

Other teams competing in Plum City were River Falls, Bay City, Hudson, and host Plum City.