After the Prairie Falcons baseball squad wrapped up total domination in the 3A Greater St. Helens League with an 11-1 league record, they annihilated Battle Ground High School’s senior night with a 16-4 win in five innings on Tuesday, May 6.
The win for the Falcons continues a new tradition as of late. Prairie High School has stepped into enemy territory against school district rival Battle Ground High School on the Tigers’ senior night and has won the last three.
“Our team has been putting in a lot of work, and this is just another example of the hard work that our players have been putting in,” Falcons head coach Shane Sullivan said. “They’ve come out and done a lot of the little things in practice and have been able to put it all together when it comes game time.”
Sullivan, a state champ and former professional baseball player, has brought a lot of experience and knowledge of the game to Prairie High School, and it has paid off in a big way on the win column and quality of play.
“We’re definitely getting hot at the right time of the season right now,” Sullivan said. “I believe seven straight wins now, so we’re feeling good.”
Sullivan also gave a shoutout to his student athletes.
“Coming out here on a tough terrain, a lot of AP tests going on with players, but we have a lot of tremendous student athletes here that put the classroom first,” he said, “and make sure that they carry that same effort into the playing field. It’s definitely a privilege having these guys out here and it shows today what hard work can get you.”
The 16-4 win for the Falcons completed the regular season for both teams, with Prairie entering the 3A District 3/4 baseball tournament as league champs and the Tigers entering the 4A District 3/4 baseball tournament in second place in the 4A Greater St. Helens League. Both squads have been playing their best brand of baseball at the end of the regular season.
The 2025 Falcons squad has stood out amongst previous years with depth on the mound, approaches at the plate, and quickness on the bases.
“Offensively, our two-strike approaches and extending at-bats, that’s been something that we’ve been much better at here late in the year,” Sullivan said of what his team has improved on over the season. “And just adjusting our approaches, understanding situational baseball and what it is that we’re trying to accomplish at the plate. And then executing that plan, we’ve also done a lot of communication on how to read pitchers, not only when they’re throwing to the plate but also when we’re on base. A lot of that communication is reciprocated in the dugout from the players.”
The Battle Ground Tigers were awarded the 10 seed in the 4A bi-district tournament. They will face 15 seed Graham-Kapowsin High School at the Evergreen High School Sports Annex in Vancouver on Tuesday, May 13, but results were unavailable at press time. A loss ends the season, while a win moves on to another loser-out match against the loser of Curtis versus Camas on Wednesday, May 14.
After the second loser-out matchup, the winner will play in a win-to-state, loser-out matchup on Saturday, May 17, at Aaron Pointer Field in Tacoma.
The Prairie Falcons were awarded the fourth seed in the 3A bi-district tournament and will face Capital High School on Tuesday, May 13, at home, but results were unavailable at press time. A loss plays against either White River or Central Kitsap high schools on Wednesday, May 14, time and place to be determined. A win clinches a state berth and matchup in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, May 17 at Auburn High School.
