One Way Or Another Cda, Lc Take Different Paths To State Wins

Coeur d’Alene High softball coach Larry Bieber is accustomed to doing the seventh-inning squirm. He doesn’t necessarily like what it does to his heart rate, but he loves the end result.

The Vikings nipped Centennial 1-0 with a run in the bottom of the seventh in a well-played State A-1 Tournament opener Thursday at Quad Park.

“We always wait ‘til the seventh,” said catcher Erica McDonald, who tripled and scored the game-winner on Kari Lenz’s single. “It gets Bieber’s heart going.”

Meanwhile, Lake City’s approach was to dominate all seven innings, which was considerably easier on the ticker of the Timberwolves’ coach, Darren Taylor. The Timberwolves drubbed Meridian 11-0 behind a 15-hit attack and Bobbi Darretta’s four-hit pitching.

“A little short game, some long ball, good pitching and fairly good defense,” Taylor said. “That’s a good formula.”

If CdA and LC repeat their successful formulas in winners-bracket semifinals today at noon, the two rivals would square off at 5 p.m.

CdA (22-4), which won two regional games with seventh-inning rallies last week, faces Idaho Falls (19-11), which upended Twin Falls 6-5 in eight innings. LC (21-6) meets Eagle (24-7), a 4-3 winner over Rigby.

In loser-out games at 10 a.m., Centennial (20-11) battles Twin Falls (20-8) and Meridian (21-8) plays Rigby (20-9).

Coeur d’Alene 1, Centennial 0

Bieber’s stress started building in the sixth inning. A walk and an error put Patriots runners at second and third with one out.

Pitcher Blake Hoorelbeke, who defeated Centennial twice in the Vikings’ state-title run last year, struck out clean-up hitter Elisha Booth and Kari Leaton to silence the threat.

“I was throwing hard, the hardest I’ve thrown this year,” said Hoorelbeke, who was clocked in the low 60-mph range. “When I get in those (tight) moments, I get such a rush and I try to do as good as I can.”

Which is comforting to Bieber. “That’s typical Blake at the state tourney,” he said. “She gets her game face on.”

Centennial counterpart Leaton was Hoorelbeke’s equal for six innings, allowing only one hit - Stephanie Ferro’s bloop single in the second.

With one out in the seventh, McDonald tagged an 0-2 pitch that appeared to be high and outside into the gap in right center for a triple and some redemption.

“I swung at a bad pitch, then I missed a perfect one,” said McDonald, the Vikings’ lone sophomore. “I was kind of nervous, I was going, `Oh my God, I’ve got to hit the ball.” It was actually a high pitch. I just hit it on the sweet spot.”

Lenz belted Leaton’s ensuing pitch back up the middle to plate McDonald.

“That’s one of those games where it’s hard for either team to lose,” Patriots coach Paul Atwood said.

Coeur d’Alene 1, Centennial 0

Centennial 000 000 0 - 0 1 0

Coeur d’Alene 000 000 1 - 1 3 2

Leaton and Booth; Hoorelbeke and McDonald. W - Hoorelbeke (17-3). L - Leaton.

HITS: Centennial - Homsher. Coeur d’Alene - Ferro, McDonald, Lenz. 3B - McDonald.

Lake City 11, Meridian 0

The T-Wolves hit their stride early as junior catcher Megan Carpenter homered in the first inning, the first of her four hits and four RBIs.

“If we score in the first inning, we’re usually ready to go and we’re loose for the next six innings,” Carpenter said.

LC proceeded to score at least once in every inning but the third. Taylor was particularly pleased with a single run in the fourth as freshman Ingrid Lochelt singled, swiped second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Carpenter’s flyout.

“We manufactured that one,” Taylor grinned.

The Warriors, minus ace Crystal Peel, who injured her knee in a district title game last week, showed little spark with just four hits. Darretta fanned 10.

“We didn’t come to play apparently,” coach Connie Skogrand said. “We probably felt a little sorry for ourselves, but we just weren’t ready to play.”

LC didn’t have that problem. Darretta and Kelli O’Hara each had three hits and combined to drive in three runs. Lochelt added two singles.

“It’s too bad it wasn’t against their ace,” Taylor said. “It’s tough to come to state and not have your biggest impact player. But we hit all the way through the lineup.”

Lake City 130 113 2 - 11 15 3

Meridian 000 000 0 - 0 4 3

Darretta and Carpenter; Cafferty, Pierce (2) and Brumfield, Slappy (5). W - Darretta (17-4). L - Cafferty.

HITS: Lake City - Carpenter 4, O’Hara 3, Cook, Lang, Lochelt 2, Darretta 3, Ashkinos. Meridian - Brumfield, Luke 2, Auch. 2B - Ashkinos, Darretta. HR - Carpenter.

Idaho Falls 6, Twin Falls 5 (8)

Senior Lisa Birk’s triple knocked in one run and she scored on an error to key a two-run eighth and send Twin Falls into the losers bracket.

Eagle 4, Rigby 3

Eagle rallied with a two-run sixth to overtake the Trojans.