Payette Pirates & Weiser Wolverines Split Week Series

It was a tale of two games for the Payette Pirates and Weiser Wolverines this week, as the two conference rivals traded blows in a conference series.

Monday in Payette — Weiser 9, Payette 5

The Wolverines came into Pirates territory Monday and left with a convincing 9-5 conference victory, jumping on Payette early and never letting them fully recover. Weiser wasted no time, plating four runs in the first inning to set the tone and never relinquish the lead. Cole Ingle was the standout performer for the Wolverines, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, an RBI, a double, and two stolen bases — an all-around dominant performance at the plate and on the bases. K. LaChapelle was right behind him, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Lance Albertson added a 2-for-4 night of his own. As a team, Weiser collected 10 hits and drew five walks, keeping constant pressure on the Pirates throughout the evening.

On the mound, Weiser used a three-pitcher combination to get the job done. Starter Jace Waggoner worked through a rough first frame before giving way to Lance Albertson, who settled things down considerably over four innings of work, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six. Brody Bittick came on in relief to close things out, tossing two clean innings to secure the win.

For Payette, there were individual bright spots despite the loss. Jayden Barrera had arguably the best night at the plate for the Pirates, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base. Jaxon Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and added two stolen bases of his own, and Ryker Phillips contributed a 2-for-4 effort with an RBI and a double. Michael O'Campo also went 2-for-4 and swiped a bag. But the Pirates' night was undone by costly defense — Payette committed eight errors in the field, turning what could have been a closer game into a comfortable Weiser victory. Pitchers Jaxon Rodriguez and Darrien Pecunia combined to allow nine runs, though only two were earned, a testament to how much the defense hurt Payette on the night.

Wednesday in Payette — Payette 13, Weiser 3 (Edited to fix stats)

The Pirates stayed home for the second game of the series Wednesday, with weather forcing the contest back to Payette, and they made the most of the home crowd — exploding for 13 runs on 13 hits while handing the Wolverines a lopsided 13-3 defeat to split the conference series. If Monday was about Weiser’s offense taking control, Wednesday was all about Payette doing the same, with the Pirates putting together one of their most complete performances of the season on both sides of the ball.

The story of the night started on the mound, where Gauge Christy took the ball to begin the game and was sharp early. The right-hander worked four innings, surrendering just two hits and one run while striking out six and walking three. Jahzyon Sylva came on in relief to finish the job, keeping Weiser at bay the rest of the way as Payette pulled away for good.

At the plate, Christy was just as dangerous as he was on the mound — finishing the night 3-for-4 with three RBI, putting together a true two-way performance. Jayden Barrera matched him hit for hit, also going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Damien Capener chipped in three RBI of his own, and Sylva and Darrien Pecunia each collected multiple hits. Pecunia added two stolen bases, and the Pirates swiped five bags as a team.

The Pirates did their most damage in the seventh inning, erupting for seven runs to put the game completely out of reach. Ryker Phillips delivered a two-run sacrifice fly, and Sylva came through with a clutch single that plated two more. Three Weiser errors in the inning kept the floodgates open and turned a comfortable lead into a statement win.

For Weiser, Kaden “KJ” LaChapelle started and worked five and two-thirds innings, but surrendered eight hits and five runs against a Pirates lineup that was clicking on all cylinders. Eric Ramirez led the Wolverines with an RBI, finishing 1-for-3. Kolt Sarich, Lance Albertson, Ramirez, and Telsyn Hawker each collected a hit, and Albertson swiped two bases. Weiser did turn one double play on the night, but nine fielding errors made an already difficult evening nearly impossible to recover from.