Iel Race Unchanged As Top Four Teams Split

Nothing changed Tuesday in the Inland Empire League baseball standings as the top four teams split a pair of doubleheaders.

Defending State A-1 champion Lewiston remained in first place but let an opportunity to put some distance between itself and the pack slip away. The visiting Bengals downed Post Falls 13-5 in the first game, but fell to the Trojans by the same score in the nightcap.

At Sandpoint, meanwhile, the Bulldogs blanked preseason favorite Coeur d’Alene 7-0 in the opener before the Vikings posted their first win over Sandpoint in four games, 10-2, in the second contest.

Regular-season play concludes this week. Because poor weather cost teams a handful of games, not all league contests can be made up. League officials decided Monday that seeding for next week’s statequalifying regional tournament will be based on league winning percentage.

The standings after Tuesday’s splits are: Lewiston 7-4 in league, 9-9 overall; Coeur d’Alene 8-6, 14-7; Sandpoint 5-4, 8-8; and Post Falls 5-7, 8-8. Idle Lake City is 3-7, 5-11.

In doubleheaders Thursday, Lake City visits CdA and Sandpoint goes to Lewiston. In final action Saturday, Post Falls visits LC and Lewiston treks to Sandpoint.

At Sandpoint, Bulldogs pitcher Mike Lindgren (5-0) recorded his second victory over CdA this season, tossing a six-hitter and striking out five.

Sandpoint led 2-0 through five innings before jumping on the Viks for five runs in the sixth. Jeremy Thielbahr led the Bulldogs with three hits and two RBI and Caleb Bowman added two RBI on a double in the sixth.

The Viks rebounded in the second game behind Jesse Hoorelbeke.

Hoorelbeke pitched a complete game, limiting Sandpoint to five hits. He also provided the offense, going 3 for 5 with two RBI. The Viks put the game away with six runs in the seventh.

At Post Falls, the Trojans and Lewiston split a doubleheader as each posted 13-5 wins.

Mike McKeown smacked two doubles and a triple and knocked in four runs to key Post Falls’ second-game win. Two of McKeown’s RBIs came in a decisive seven-run fourth inning. Ryan Ries also had three hits.

Pitcher Jake Medlock survived six PF errors to earn his fifth victory of the year.

In the opener, Lewiston took advantage of six hits, nine walks, a hit batsman and four Trojan errors. Six Bengals who walked eventually scored.

McKeown homered for Post Falls.

Lakeland’s pitching staff posted its third consecutive shutout - this time junior Ryan Banks did the honors in impressive fashion, no-hitting the host Badgers in a 10-0 Intermountain League victory.

Banks walked one, struck out seven and chipped in offensively by driving in two runs. Kevin Bridge and Josh Phelps each had two RBI.

The first-place Hawks improved to 14-2 overall, 9-2 in the IML.

At Wallace, visiting St. Maries turned a tight non-league game into a 12-2 rout with a seven-run seventh inning.

The Lumberjacks’ Ty Konkright cracked a grand slam in the seventh. D.J. Eberlin drilled a three-run homer in the first and added a solo blast in the seventh to finish with five RBI.

St. Maries improved to 13-4 overall. Brian St. Peter homered for Wallace (11-5).

Softball

In Inland Empire League double-headers, Lake City swept Post Falls 13-2 and 8-2 at Quad Park in Post Falls, while Coeur d’Alene used a pair of late rallies to knock off visiting Sandpoint 6-5 in eight innings and 7-5 in the nightcap.

By virtue of their sweeps, Lake City and Coeur d’Alene will meet Thursday in what should decide the conference championship. The twinbill, at LC, begins at 4 p.m.

League officials decided Monday that since a handful of games can’t be made up this week seeding to the regional tournament will be decided by league winning percentage.

At Post Falls, LC (9-2, 12-4) used a 10-run outburst in the second inning to score a 10-run-rule victory in the first game over the Trojans (2-10, 2-12).

Jenny Owen and Kim Koll each had two hits to lead LC in the opener.

LC managed just three hits in the second game, but took advantage of five Post Falls errors.

At CdA, the Bulldogs scored two runs in the top of the seventh for a 5-2 lead, but the Viks rallied for three runs in their final at bat, forcing extra innings.

Tara Lenz had three hits including a bases-loaded game-winning single in the eighth inning and followed with a gamewinning bases-loaded double in the second game.

CdA moved to 11-2, 13-8 while Sandpoint dropped to 3-6, 3-8.

In an Intermountain League game, league-leading Lakeland easily dispatched Bonners Ferry 12-0 at Bonners Ferry.

Jenni Borg struck out seven and walked just one to lead Lakeland (10-1, 13-2). Borg had two hits including a triple.

Bonners Ferry slipped to 1-7, 1-10.

Soccer

Coeur d’Alene rode Darren Baune’s two goals to a non-league 4-2 victory over visiting Lakeland.

The Vikings opened the scoring on Kyle Chambers’ goal before Lakeland’s Tyler Morton netted the equalizer. The Vikings (8-6-1) scored the next three goals.

Lakeland is 1-8.

, DataTimes