Cda Defeats Billings

The Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen made the best of their lone showing Thursday at the Spokane AAA American Legion baseball Fourth of July tournament.

The Lumbermen beat the Billings (Mont.) Royals 5-2 in the final game at Gonzaga University.

The four-day, 12-team tourney is being played at four sites.

CdA’s Casey Hoorelbeke allowed one earned run in six innings, but stood to lose. The Lumbermen took Hoorelbeke off the hook with a four-run sixth, guided by Josh Merk and Ben Johnston’s RBI singles.

CdA opens today at noon with the Blue Devils of Spokane at Shadle Park’s Jackson Field. They also play at Jackson at 3 p.m., against the Northco (Vancouver, Wash.) Angels.

Elsewhere at the tourney, the Spokane Cannons opened with a 9-7, six-inning win over the Spokane Royals at GU. Bill Tincup went 3 for 4, with two runs and three RBIs. Adam Boots and Aaron Gilliland opened the sixth with singles, pulled off a double steal and scored on Tincup’s double for an 8-7 lead. Nate Blum of the Royals was 3 for 3.

The Cannons then shifted to Whitworth College and beat Northco 14-4 on the strength of a nine-run seventh. The Cannons had seven hits in the ninth, including two-run singles by Jeremy Isherwood and Justin Folkins. Gilliland scored four runs and stole three bases, while Ben Miller went 3 for 5 with three RBIs.

The Spokane Bandits split a pair at Jackson Field, stopping the Spokane North Stars 11-8 before falling to the Great Falls (Mont.) Stallions 7-6.

Aaron Fryer singled, doubled, tripled and drove in two runs to lead the win over the North Stars. Seth Winterer had two singles and two doubles in four plate appearances for the North Stars.

Stew Purdy finished 4 for 4, all singles, in Great Falls’ win. Dave Powell, one of six Bandits with two hits, went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Blue Devils split a pair at GU, beating the Royals 5-1 and losing to Billings 5-3.

Sean Hughes pitched a five-hitter and went 3 for 3 in the win over the Royals. Brian Coe’s solo homer helped the cause. Eric Hayden had two hits against Billings, but allowed single runs in the fourth and fifth to break a 3-all tie after three.

Volleyball

Spokane Splash New Balance went 4-1 in the round of 16 to qualify for today’s U16 final four of the Kaepa Volleyball Festival in Sacramento, Calif.

Spokane has secured the highest finish of any Northwest team in tourney history.

, DataTimes MEMO: Changed in the Spokane edition