Lake City Sleeps Through Sweep
Prep roundup
The Lake City High School softball team completed a regular-season sweep of cross-town rival Coeur d’Alene during an Inland Empire League doubleheader Saturday afternoon.
But by no way can it be said that the Timberwolves, who ran away with the league championship, were dominating. LC frittered away an 8-0 lead to capture the first game 8-4 and then held off the Vikings 11-10 in the second contest at Lake City’s new field behind the high school.
LC finished atop the league standings at 14-2, 20-3 overall. Runner-up CdA finished in sole possession of second place at 8-8, 12-12 overall.
Both teams will play host to first-round double-elimination games next Thursday in the Region I state-qualifying tournament.
In another season finale at Sandpoint, visiting Lewiston avoided a last-place finish by sweeping the Bulldogs 12-2 in a run-rule shortened first game and 11-9 in the second game.
By virtue of the sweep, Lewiston (6-10, 8-15) will play host to Sandpoint (5-11, 9-13) in a loser-out game Tuesday to decide the fourth and final seed to the regional tournament. Lewiston won three of four regular-season games against Sandpoint.
The Lewiston-Sandpoint survivor will turn around and visit LC on Thursday. No. 3 seed Post Falls will go to CdA, also on Thursday.
Three of the four teams will earn berths to state.
LC coach Dwight Wilson was less than pleased Saturday - despite the sweep.
“I was really disappointed. I thought we were very complacent and not mentally in the games,” Wilson said. “I feel lucky that we got both games.”
Kelly Nelson upped her pitching record to 12-1 with the win in the first game. She had 10 strikeouts (102 for the season in 76 innings. She helped her cause at the plate with three RBIs.
In the second game, LC’s Laura Tolzmann had a grand slam, but it was Jenny Owen’s run-scoring single in the sixth that provided the winning run.
At Sandpoint, the Bengals used several Sandpoint walks and timely hits for big innings to blow open both games.
Lewiston jumped to an 11-0 lead in the second contest, and a Sandpoint rally in the final three innings fell short.
In a regular-season ending Intermountain League doubleheader at Moscow, the Bears handed league champion Lakeland its first league defeat.
Moscow tripped the Hawks 5-1 in the opener before Lakeland rebounded for a 16-2 win in the second game.
Monica Hall had nine strikeouts and one walk in the second game for Lakeland (10-1 in league, 18-5 overall).
Track
The Lakeside boys and the Falls Christian Academy girls captured team championships in the North Star League meet at Corbit Field in Rathdrum.
The meet isn’t a state-qualifier. The NSL teams will have the opportunity to qualify for state next weekend at the District I-II meet at Kamiah High School.
FCA unseated three-time league champion Kootenai. The Eagles were led by standouts Sarah Peterson and Becky Straw.
Peterson had personal bests in winning the triple jump (34 feet, 1 inch) and long jump (15-9) and she teammed with Straw on the victorious 400- and 800-meter relay teams.
Straw had individual wins in the 100 (13.1) and 200 (27.1).
Golf
Moscow’s boys and Priest River’s girls captured team titles in the B District I-II Tournament at Hidden Lakes Country Club near Sandpoint.
Francis Macdonald fired a 3-over-par 75 on the difficult course to lead Moscow, which posted 332. Priest River finished seven strokes back.
Lakeland (351) and St. Maries (352) will join Moscow and Priest River at state next weekend. State will be held at Stoneridge Golf Course in Blanchard.
Priest River’s girls fired 314 to easily beat runner-up Kellogg (325). Bonners Ferry (334) also qualified for state.
Kellogg’s Laura Rauenhorst earned medalist honor with a 94, edging three other players by a combined three strokes.
Baseball
Lakeland clinched the Intermountain League title and top seeding in the district tournament with a 4-2 win at Moscow.
The victory salvaged a split for the Hawks (11-1 in league, 17-3 overall), who fell to the Bears (6-3, 14-10) 7-6 in nine innings in the opener.
Left-handed pitcher Brett DeBoer wasn’t his usual dominating self, but he picked up his eighth win against no losses for the Hawks.
“He had to really battle,” Lakeland coach Ken Busch said.
Moscow secured the win in the opener when Eric Kiblin, a strikeout victim in three previous atbats, laced a run-scoring single.
Erik Martin put Lakeland ahead to stay in the second contest with a two-run single in the fifth inning. But the hitting star for the Hawks was junior left-fielder Chris Olson, who collected five hits in the twin bill and three RBIs.
Lakeland will meet the winner of Bonners Ferry-St. Maries in a District I-II opener next Thursday at Moscow. Bonners Ferry and St. Maries meet at St. Maries on Tuesday in a loserout game.
In another loser-out game Tuesday, Priest River travels to Orofino. Moscow will meet the Priest River-Orofino survivor on Thursday.
The district title game is Saturday at Moscow. The top two teams advance to state.
GSL baseball
Aaron Hancock put his signature on Shadle Park’s regional-qualifying baseball wins at Seafirst Stadium.
Hancock earned saves in both games as the Highlanders (14-6) eliminated Gonzaga Prep and Ferris during District 8-AAA playoffs.
Shadle plays for regional seeding at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday at Seafirst against Greater Spokane League champion University. The GSL No. 1 opens regionals against the Big Nine Conference No. 2; GSL No. 2 draws Big Nine No. 1.
Shadle began the day with a 7-5 win over Prep (10-8). Joe Baune had a two-run double, and Chris Wilson and Joe Walters added RBI singles during Shadle’s six-run third inning. Hancock relieved winning pitcher Tim Amann in the seventh.
Matt Comfort and Bob Strahl had RBI singles during Prep’s three-run first.
Against Ferris, a 4-2 Shadle win, Hancock relieved Rob Debeaumont with the bases loaded and nobody out in the fifth. The Saxons (12-6), trailing 4-0, managed just one run. Joe Dunsmoor’s two-run double and Christiaan Ross’ sacrifice fly highlighted the Highlanders’ threerun second.