Coeur D’Alene Continues Turnaround Vikings Take No. 1 State Berth With Victory Over Lewiston

About a month ago, Coeur d’Alene High’s baseball team was last place in the league, fielding poorly with decent pitching and so-so hitting.

These days the Vikings vacuum up ground balls, launch home runs into the underbrush of Tubbs Hill and pitch complete games.

Coeur d’Alene’s stunning reversal continued on Saturday with a 6-1 drubbing of Lewiston at McEuen Field to capture the A-1 Region I Tournament championship and the North’s No. 1 seed at state next week in Nampa/Caldwell.

Lewiston rebounded to top Sandpoint 7-3 and claim the second berth to state. Sandpoint previously eliminated Post Falls 12-2.

“As our (assistant) coach (Jake) Taylor said very well, you have to experience the lows to experience the highs,” CdA junior Jesse Hoorelbeke said. “We’re at a high point.”

Speaking of high points, Hoorelbeke’s 390-foot, two-run homer in the first inning had serious liftoff. The homer, Hoorelbeke’s third in a week, put the Viks in front 2-0, and coach Paul Mather solicited a search crew to retrieve the ball.

“It took one of our guys two innings just to find it (in the foliage),” Mather smiled.

Senior Mike Dorame’s two-run double in the third made it 4-0 and the Vikings added single runs in the fifth and sixth.

That was ample support for sophomore pitcher Mark Scates, who took a two-hitter into the bottom of the sixth. The Bengals, who had a nine-game winning streak snapped, loaded the bases with no outs, but Scates got an infield popout and two fielder’s choice grounders to yield just one run.

Viks second baseman Bruce Coppess scooped up nine grounders for assists and would have had another but shortstop Nick Rook dropped a throw for CdA’s lone error.

“I’ll throw ground balls for him (Coppess) all day,” said Scates, often victimized by his defense during the Viks’ early season struggles.

Other than an occasional lapse of control, Scates biggest battle may have been when a callus set up shop on his blistered fingertip. “I guess I was squeezing the ball pretty hard,” he said.

CdA has won five out of six games and Mather explained the turnaround as a testament to effort.

“Of all the turnarounds, probably the biggest one has been our defense,” said Mather, whose 14-11 club will face Centennial in its state opener on Thursday. “All we’ve talked about is if we work hard, good things will happen. We’re playing super.”

Just in time.

Lewiston 7, Sandpoint 3

A sparkling performance by freshman pitcher Dustin Reichert may have caused a sleepless night for Sandpoint coach Dave Martinez.

Reichert (three innings, no hits) stymied the Bengals (21-6), but Sandpoint was already in a 7-0 hole when he entered in the fourth inning.

“I’ll be second-guessing myself all night,” said Martinez, who started Bill Kunzeman and brought in Ryan Beard in the second. Kunzeman was bothered by a migraine and Beard’s arm was drained after pitching in Thursday’s loss to Lewiston.

Lewiston pitcher Ryan Baerlocher fanned 12. He was roughed up only in the fifth when Sandpoint closed to 7-3 on Dallas Spielman’s two-run double and Reichert’s RBI single.

Sandpoint finished at 12-14.

Sandpoint 12, Post Falls 2

The Bulldogs’ Mike Lindgren fired a complete game and added a two-run double. Travis Reise socked a double and triple to plate three runs.

The Trojans (8-15) scored both runs in the fifth, highlighted by Ryan Novak’s tape-measure homer. , A-2

Host Moscow upset top-seeded Lakeland 9-4 Saturday to capture the District I-II baseball tournament championship and earn the top seed to the state tournament.

The Bears (16-10 overall) struck for seven runs with no outs in the top of the second to take a commanding lead that Lakeland could never recover from. Even more shocking, Orofino eliminated Intermountain League champion Lakeland 16-5 in a loser-out game. Lakeland finishes its season at 18-5.