ELLSWORTH — There were some missed opportunities on both sides, but when it came down to it, the Prescott Pirates won the battle 5-3 over the Ellsworth Hubbers on July 24.

After squandering an opportunity with the bases loaded in the second inning, the Pirates found themselves with the bases loaded again in the third, this time with one out. They capitalized, with Brady Block lacing a double to the left-centerfield gap to take a 2-0 lead.

“We had some innings where we could have blown it wide open and we didn’t,” Player/Manager Billy Brookshaw said. “It’s easy to get frustrated in those scenarios.”

The Hubbers would not go away quietly, with Austin Mason bringing a run home on a single in the third. In the fourth, Chuck Hewitt drilled one over the head of the right fielder, scoring Drake Flom from first and allowing Hewitt to wheel all the way to third. Bass drove Hewitt in with a single for a 3-2 lead.

Ellsworth held the lead briefly, but Prescott snatched it back permanently in the sixth. A wild pitch with runners on second and third brought a play at the plate that it seemed Ellsworth made, but the sliding runner caused pitcher Wes Dobbs to drop the ball, tying the game at three. Luke Murphy then drove in two on a single to left field, marking the end of the scoring on either side for the rest of the night.

“We’ve had quite a few hits with not a ton of run production,” Brookshaw said. “We’re basically one or two hits away from where we need to be.”

Starting pitcher Evan Bayer shut the Hubbers down in the fifth, sixth and seventh, carving through the lineup with ease. The eighth saw a pair of baserunners reach that Bayer held from scoring. Dylan Gausman came in for the ninth and also encountered some traffic, but got out of it as Bayer did.

While the Hubbers have posted some massive run totals coming out of the mid-season break, Bayer made things tough on them. Bayer dealt eight innings of three-run ball and kept the team in the game while they were scratching runs across.

“Evan’s pitched for so many years. He pitched in college, he’s pitched for the Pirates for years. He knows how he can come back,” Brookshaw said. “As long as he’s throwing strikes and we’re playing defense, we’re going to be fine.”

Nobody plays baseball in Ellsworth or Prescott growing up without playing in their fair share of battles between the two towns, and to some, the game just means a little bit more.

“You play them so many times. It’s always fun to come and play Ellsworth, especially when you win,” Brookshaw said. “We just love coming down and playing here, no matter what day it is.”

Bayer said they also have a rivalry against River Falls, but the Ellsworth matchup means a lot to the team.

“In this league, we typically are rivaled up against the [River Falls] Fish quite a bit, but for me, this is a big one,” Bayer said. “I used to play for the Hubbers, so it’s always nice to get a win out here.”

The key for Prescott moving forward will be scoring those runners that get on base. After picking up 10 hits against the Hubbers, Brookshaw said they missed some opportunities to bring those runners home.

“We’ve kind of been playing down all year, it’s been a little bit of a struggle sometimes,” Bayer said. “Today we found a way to battle.”

Next up is the St. Croix Valley Baseball League Tournament on Aug. 2-4, with the Wisconsin Baseball Association Regional Playoffs a week later.