Hoorelbeke Never Better In 1-0 Cda Win

Prep softball/track

Blake Hoorelbeke wasn’t perfect, but Coeur d’Alene High softball coach Larry Bieber has never seen his ace pitch better.

Hoorelbeke tossed an eight-inning no-hitter and Dana Larson singled home the game-winning run as the host Vikings edged Lake City 1-0 Tuesday afternoon.

“That’s the best game she’s pitched for me, including state tournaments,” Vikings coach Larry Bieber said. “She went from giving up four wild pitches, three walks and three hits (on Monday) to being nearly perfect.”

Hoorelbeke’s only blemish was a walk to Jill Ashkinos, LC’s second batter in the first inning. Lake City didn’t hit the ball out of the infield until Nikki Merk’s lazy flyout to center in the fifth inning.

It was a prime example of the new and improved Hoorelbeke.

“She has some new pitches this year,” LC coach Darren Taylor said. “Last year was just fastball and change. I saw drop, rise, all kinds of variety. She was mixing up her pitches.”

And confusing LC’s usually potent lineup.

“We were so tentative. I don’t know why, but we haven’t really been tested because we’ve been playing so well and blowing people away. All of a sudden, we ran into a really good pitcher and we didn’t know what to do,” Taylor said.

“We’re better hitters than that. She won’t no-hit us again. We’ve got too many good hitters.”

The two Border League powers square off in a doubleheader today at 3:30 at Lake City. Both teams are 7-1 in league, 11-1 overall.

It’s difficult to determine which stat is more impressive - that Hoorelbeke hasn’t allowed an earned run this season or that she’s pitched 13-15 no-hitters in four prep seasons, by Bieber’s estimation.

“I’ve matured a lot and I’ve learned to work with (catcher) Erika McDonald on batters to know them inside and out,” said Hoorelbeke, who has signed to play at Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla. “I’ve learned to use my body a lot more. That way I can change velocity and can also change movement on my pitches.”

The biggest threat to Hoorelbeke’s no-hitter was Bobbi Darretta’s drive into the gap in right-center in the seventh. Vikings centerfielder Patti Stranger’s full-extension diving catch kept LC out of the hit column.

Meanwhile, Darretta, the LC pitcher, matched scoreless innings with Hoorelbeke, though she wasn’t as dominant. The Vikings cluttered the bases with runners, but Darretta refused to buckle, even after taking a liner off the foot in the fifth.

In extra innings, the offensive team starts with a runner at second base and no outs. Lake City went down in order in the eighth inning.

In CdA’s half of the inning, Kari Lenz’s single pushed pinch-runner Crystal Miller to third. One out later, Larson ended the scoreless battle by singling to center.

Also in the Border League, Rosie Parrott pitched a two-hitter, striking out 10 and allowing no earned runs, to lead Post Falls (4-3, 2-3) to a 5-1 win over visiting Lewiston (8-5, 6-3). Stacy Withers went 2 for 4 with two RBIs for Post Falls. Brittenie West scattered seven hits and had one of Lewiston’s two singles… . Reliever Brooke Brown struck out four in three innings and added a two-run single during a four-run sixth to lift Colville (6-3, 4-3) to a 7-4 win at Cheney (4-6, 2-5). Candice Birchell of Cheney struck out five… . Leah Williams pitched a five-hitter and Haley Henry homered to help West Valley (5-4, 4-3) to a 3-1 win at Clarkston (4-6, 3-5).

Jacque Boncz went 5 for 5, including a game-winning double in the seventh, and Priest River (5-5, 4-4) edged visiting Bonners Ferry 10-9 in the Intermountain League. Boncz and reliever Nikki Yount combined for 12 strikeouts. Kayla Howlett of the Badgers (4-8, 1-5) had three hits… . Also in the IML, Lisa Fox pitched a four-hitter, striking out five, and Amy Logan went 3 for 4 to lead Timberlake (5-6, 4-3) to a 6-2 win at St. Maries (11-3, 5-3)… . Teea Stutheit had four hits, including two doubles, and Lakeland (10-3, 8-0) rolled to a 38-2 win at Kellogg (0-10, 0-7).

Track and field

Lake City posted 66.5 points to top Coeur d’Alene (55.5) and Sandpoint (49) in an Inland Empire League dual at LC. Lake City’s Carly Smith topped her school record in the pole vault by an inch at 10 feet, 7 inches. Teammate Lindsey Van Hoose clocked 1 minute, 1.7 seconds to take the 400-meter run. Sprinter Stacy Bolstad led Sandpoint with wins in the 100 hurdles (15.6) and 200 (25.7). CdA’s Janee Andre posted victories in the 100 (13.1) and long jump (17-4).