Coeur d’Alene manages one hit, falls to Eagle in State semifinal

POCATELLO — Coeur d’Alene had been in this situation just twice before this season. Both times the Vikings had a quick answer.

The third time, they had no response as Coeur d’Alene dropped a 1-0 decision to Eagle in the 5A State softball semifinal.

“We’ve been behind twice before in the season,” Vikings coach Larry Bieber said. “Both times, we answered right away. Maybe we were pressing a little bit because it was such a big game. And the later we got, the more we pressed.”

The loss was the first of the season for CdA after 27 straight victories.

Those 27 victories, Bieber noted, mean nothing in a state tournament where everyone else has the same goal and the same starting situation.

“If you ask any of the girls, our record is zero and zero before every game,” Bieber said. “But, we’re 27-1. We have to have some confidence that we can win. We did it in ‘98. So I think we can do it again.”

What the Vikings need to do is win three straight games.

The potential softball marathon begins this morning at 10 a.m. when the Vikings face Timberline in the third-place game. The winner advances to play Eagle at noon with a possible third game at 2 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament.

Coeur d’Alene beat Timberline 2-0 earlier Friday as Heather Helmhout recorded the shutout.

Against the Mustangs, though, Helmhout’s pitching wasn’t enough to overcome the lack of offense.

Eagle pitcher Rebecca Tsatsa pitched a one-hitter and had a no-hitter going into the sixth when Helmhout blooped a single over third base.

The Vikings managed to get only two runners to second base in the game, though, and saw both of those scoring opportunities go for naught as Tsatsa quickly finished off CdA batters.

“We just didn’t get our bats going,” Bieber said. “They made all the plays. They got our bunts. They made diving catches. They made great throws. You have to give them credit for doing that.”

In other tournament action, Eagle beat Twin Falls 3-2 to set up the game against Coeur d’Alene. Borah took fourth in the tournament after winning two games early then falling to Timberline.