Vikings Looking Good

Prep baseball

The Coeur d’Alene High baseball team sent its crosstown rival home early Tuesday.

So the Vikings, after tidying up the field following their 10-0 run-rule shortened Border League victory, headed out for pizza to celebrate.

Not exactly. Not on Vikings coach Brian Holgate’s watch.

“You know me by now. I’m a perfectionist,” Holgate said. “I never let the kids know that they’re really good until the season’s over and then I’ll tell them they’re good. Right now, it’s too early. There are some things we’ve got to get better at. We didn’t play poorly, but we can get better.”

CdA (9-3, 7-1 league) stayed within a half game in the loss column of league leader Lewiston.

Lake City (4-10, 3-7) and CdA finish their season series Saturday at noon in a doubleheader at LC.

The most significant difference Tuesday was CdA took advantage of opportunities and LC didn’t.

Viking Blake Whiteman led off the game with a line-drive homer to straightaway center field off a 3-2 fastball from Jeff Edwards. Six batters later, Ryan Holland received a bases-loaded walk to force in CdA’s second run.

CdA doubled its lead in the second inning when Nate Church and Jayson Coleman both scored after reaching on base walks. Church scored on Matt Brown’s double. Coleman came in on a Robert Green groundout.

Brown found himself in bases-loaded situations in the third and fourth. Catcher Brad Ross bailed out Brown in the third when he picked off Kevin Bauerle who had wandered too far off first base. In the fourth, Brown coaxed a ground out after allowing a double and two walks.

“Matt battled through it,” Holgate said. “He definitely didn’t have his best stuff today, but he was good enough to keep them off-balance. And we made the plays when we had to.”

LC coach Cory Bridges thought his team squandered opportunities.

“I know the Brown kid’s a good pitcher, but he wasn’t throwing very hard today,” Bridges said. “He was throwing 75 to 78 (mph) - good hitting speed, and we didn’t hit it. We made them make two plays. Other than that, everything was a pop fly.”

Bridges said his team got caught up trying to play CdA’s game.

“We’re not a power team and I honestly think we tried to match their power,” Bridges said. “They’ve got some kids who can stroke the ball. We are more of a line-drive team, hit it the other way, advance on the bases.”

Bridges has more pressing concerns. It begins on the mound.

“We’ve got a No. 1 starter (Bauerle), but we’re still looking for (No.) 2 and (No.) 3 starters,” he said. “We are really not sure who our No. 2 starter is, and that’s sad at this point of the year. Guys we thought were it have not responded.”

Brown led CdA with two hits. Bauerle and Rob Berger each had two for LC.

Before the teams square off Saturday, CdA travels to Lewiston Thursday for the first showdown between league favorites, and LC plays host to Moscow the same day.

Moscow and LC split a rescheduled doubleheader Monday.

Also in the Border League, shortstop Derek Bruce homered and turned two double plays, guiding first-place Lewiston (12-1, 10-0) to an 11-5 win at Post Falls (0-9, 0-6). Lewiston’s Julius Smith went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. PF’s Brian Meyers singled and doubled… . Third baseman Josh Sears had a two-run single in the fourth and a two-run double in the sixth, guiding Sandpoint (4-9, 4-8) to an 8-6 win over visiting Moscow (4-8, 3-7). Coty Gayle tied the game at 6 with a two-run single in Moscow’s sixth… . Joe Spears pitched a three-hitter to guide Colville (8-3, 5-2) to an 8-2 win at Cheney (7-4, 3-3)… . Jason Clovis had four hits and Chad McCall threw a four-hitter as Clarkston (8-2, 5-2) beat visiting West Valley 16-3. WV is 1-9, 1-5.

Caleb Troumbley pitched a three-hitter and Jeremy Troumbley had a solo homer and three RBIs, guiding Priest River (8-3, 4-3) to an 8-0 win over visiting Bonners Ferry (5-9, 3-5) in the Intermountain League. Priest River’s Seth Madson went 2 for 4 with two RBIs. BF’s Andy Way singled twice… . Also in the IML, starter Trent Duffey struck out five in three innings and reliever Pat Eberlin threw two hitless innings, leading St. Maries (14-1, 8-0) to a 12-1 win over visiting Timberlake (2-9, 1-6). Duffey had three hits, two runs and two RBIs… . Reliever Kevin Reese struck out four in two innings, and Dan Dixon scored twice to help Lakeland (12-3, 7-1) take an 8-0 win at Kellogg (1-8, 0-8). Kellogg pitchers allowed just two earned runs.