The Prescott Pirates’ scoreboard in right-center at Fire Hall Field has a new dent in it thanks to Ellsworth first baseman Kacey Bass.

Bass arrived at the plate in the top of the fourth inning with two runners on and the game tied 3-3. After taking a couple of early pitches, Bass blasted a three-run homer off the scoreboard in right-center to break the game open and give Ellsworth a 6-3 lead.

The Hubbers held the Pirates scoreless in the fourth through eighth innings before Ellsworth scored seven more runs in the top of the ninth frame. Ellsworth’s offensive excellence culminated in a 14-5 victory on Saturday, June 10.

With the win, Ellsworth improved to 4-5 overall and 3-2 in St. Croix Valley Baseball League action while Prescott slipped to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in league play.

Ellsworth player/manager Jeremiah Paulson was happy with a blowout victory against a long-standing rival, but he was more encouraged by the Hubbers’ well-rounded success. Ellsworth sprayed the ball around the park, pitched efficiently and played sound defensively.

“It’s a little bit of a rivalry game, but to me, it says that we pitch, play defense and can hit and score runs,” Paulson said. “We want to build on that momentum and if that’s how this team is going to play consistently, we’re going to be in games and be alright.”

Perhaps no performance offensively or defensively was more impressive than what Bass did at the plate. Ellsworth’s power-hitting first baseman drove in three runs against Prescott and came up just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.

Bass went yard in the fourth, singled to right in the sixth innings, blasted a double down the left-field line in the seventh and then drew a walk in each of the final two frames. His brilliance at the plate sparked Ellsworth’s decisive win against the rival Prescott Pirates.

“Kacey (Bass) is a guy that other teams have to work around,” Paulson said. “He’s an impact player in the lineup that everybody has to pay attention to. Even if he’s not hitting, he can affect a game because you can’t make a mistake with him. When he gets a good pitch, he handles it and makes an impact.”

Prescott’s only sign of life offensively came in the bottom of the third inning. The Pirates drew multiple walks and strung together a trio of singles which gave Prescott a 3-0 lead through as many frames.

In the fourth through ninth innings, Prescott’s offense did its best David Copperfield impersonation and promptly disappeared. Ellsworth capitalized on the Vegas-like illusion and scored 14 unanswered runs in the blowout victory.

Longtime Prescott shortstop Billy Brookshaw spoke candidly about the Pirates’ lack of success offensively and how seven hits going into the final inning of a shootout simply won’t get the job done.

“We didn’t hit the ball great,” Brookshaw said. “We had a hard time capitalizing in general, either moving guys over or getting hits when we needed them. We had seven hits going into the ninth, and that’s just poor. That’s why we lost against Spring Valley and it’s why we lost here.”

Although a portion of Prescott’s offensive struggles were self-inflicted, Brookshaw didn’t shy away from tipping his cap to Ellsworth’s pitching staff. The Hubbers started Jaden Schwantz, a River Falls High School graduate who just finished his freshman season as a pitcher for the Winona State Warriors.

“They pitched us well, threw strikes and didn’t walk us,” Brookshaw said. “That’s what it takes sometimes. Their lefty starter did well. They took him out when they needed to and we just couldn’t produce today.”

Jaden Schwantz pitched two scoreless before surrendering three runs in the bottom of the third inning. His brother, Jaren Schwantz, made a relief appearance in the fourth through sixth frames before Urban Broadway pitched three shutout innings to secure the victory.

The Schwantz brothers are new additions to the team this year and bring much-needed pitching depth to an Ellsworth roster that has struggled to solidify a rotation beyond one or two aces for the better part of half a decade.

“I feel we could be as good as last year,” Paulson said. “We have more pitching depth this year by adding Jaden and Jaren. Pitching depth has been a challenge during my tenure here. In the past, we had maybe one or two guys, so the depth now is helpful.”

While the Schwantz brothers provide an instant infusion of talent to Ellsworth’s pitching staff, they’re more importantly going to eat innings during the regular season which will take significant pressure off of longtime ace James Georgakas.

Georgakas pitched to exhaustion in years past largely because Ellsworth didn’t have another top-end arm on the roster. If the Hubbers wanted to win games, he had to be on the mound. With Ellsworth’s newfound pitching depth, Georgakas can stay fresh for the must-win games this year.

“I feel like with our depth, we’ll have a pretty solid roster going forward,” Paulson said. “James (Georgakas) is our top-end pitcher, but we’re trying to give him a break because we leaned on him really hard last year. We just want him to get enough work so that he’s fresh and sharp around tournament time.”

Ellsworth and Prescott are both scheduled to be back in action on Saturday, June 17. The Hubbers host Plum City while the Pirates go on the road against Hudson. The first pitches for those contests are slated for 7:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.