In what was a cold March day of baseball at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex, the Prairie Falcons defeated the Ridgefield Spudders, 5-1, in a non-league game on Tuesday, March 14.
On the mound for the Prairie Falcons was their ace, Brady Trombello, who is a senior this year and has already committed to extend his baseball career with Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Trombello pitched five complete innings of no-hit baseball and hit his mark of 75 pitches for the first game of the year.
While Trombello was on the mound, 12 of his 15 outs were recorded by strikeouts throughout the five innings.
Trombello’s dominant performance with a high velocity fastball and nasty off-speed pitches proved why he is committed to Texas Tech as he gave up no hits for his first outing of his senior year.
“Brady looked awesome,” Prairie Head Coach Tanner Bogart said. “He’s been working hard since the end of last year to get himself ready for now. But also our pitching coaches have been working with him to get ready too, so super proud all around.”
In the top of the first inning, two errors by the Ridgefield Spudders allowed Prairie to take advantage of their runners on base. A base hit single scored two by Jackson Upton for Prairie, which was followed later in the half inning with a base hit double by Trombello that scored another run.
As Rocco Wright pitched for Ridgefield in the top of the second inning he settled into his role more but still gave up two singles to Prairie’s Dylan Gaylor and Aidan Emery.
During the top of the third inning, with runners on base, a single by Prairie’s Nate Merritt led to Upton hitting into a double play that scored a run to extend the Falcon lead 4-0. For Ridgefield, Wright was relieved of his pitching duties after the third inning.
In the top of the fourth inning, Ridgefield’s Max Daniels took the mound and in two complete innings he recorded a strikeout and gave up two hits with a fifth inning double play leading to Prairie’s fifth run.
In the top of the sixth inning, Ridgefield’s Brody Masterson closed out the game and allowed no hits and pitched one strikeout. In the bottom of the sixth inning for Prairie High School, Sam Apodaca came in to close out the game and during the first at bat, Ridgefield’s Wright roped a single up the middle for the Spudders’ first hit of the game.
With Apodaca still on the mound for the Falcons in the bottom of the seventh inning, Ridgefield’s Daniels burnt Prairie’s left fielder for a base hit double leading to a pinch-hit at bat by Wyatt Bartroff. Bartroff drove in Daniels with a single to right field giving the Spudders their only run of the game as Prairie secured its 5-1 victory.
“I appreciate all the players for working hard and the fans for coming to watch,” Bogarts said.
The Prairie Falcons faced Union High School and Columbia River High School last week and the Ridgefield Spudders had North Kitsap on the schedule.
Prairie is scheduled to face Evergreen High School on the road on Thursday, March 23, while Ridgefield is scheduled to play Hudson’s Bay High School on the road on Friday, March 24.
