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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Vikings muddy playoff picture


Coeur d'Alene's Jami Anderson slides safely into home past Lake City catcher Alysha Krier. Coeur d'Alene won the game 6-4.
 (Jesse Tinsley / The Spokesman-Review)

The Lake City High softball team went into Thursday’s final Inland Empire League game against its crosstown rival a win away from dethroning the conference champion.

Now, the Timberwolves need at least two victories in their final four IEL games to secure no worse than a share of the title and three to take it outright after the Vikings evened the season series with a 6-4 victory.

So there’s some work left for LC (14-5 overall, 10-2 league) after it lost for a second straight day. Intermountain League-leading Timberlake upset the T-Wolves 1-0 on Wednesday.

If CdA (15-6, 9-4) wins its final three league games and LC splits its final four, the teams would share the title.

The question now is has LC peaked and are the Vikings starting to peak at the right time?

“This is a big win for us because now we’ve beat them the last two times going into the (regional tournament),” CdA coach Larry Bieber said. “They’ve got to go to Lewiston on Saturday and if they drop two in Lewiston then we’re going to be the league champs.”

Perhaps that’s the motivation LC needs to finish off league like it started.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t pull it out today, but it shows we’re still battling, we’re still going and we’re not done,” LC coach Laura Tolzmann said.

CdA seized the momentum early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a run-scoring single by Samantha Ritzheimer. The Viks extended it to 3-0 in the third when Jordan Corbey knocked in two runs with a single up the middle.

The Viks made it 4-0 the next inning when a run scored on a bunt by Lindsey Stark.

LC finally got untracked in the fifth, scoring twice. But the T-Wolves had runners thrown out at home and third base to squelch opportunities.

The T-Wolves had another runner thrown out at home trying to be aggressive again in the sixth. Amanda Krier tried to score from first on a double by Chantal Waide, and it appeared Krier slid under the tag by Corbey. But the plate umpire called her out.

That seemed to drain LC’s energy thereafter.

“You have to be aggressive on the bases in this game and there were a lot of close calls that could have gone either way,” Tolzmann said. “I thought the leg was under the tag big time (at the plate), and that changed the momentum right there.”

CdA scored two important runs in the sixth. A single by Brianna Robson plated the first run.

Vik pitcher Jenna DeLong was effective, scattering LC’s six hits while striking out six.

Afterward, the Viks retired to their newly built metal equipment shed and pounded on the interior walls – a new tradition they’ve started as a result of what they call their “spirit shed”.

“I thought we played with a lot of intensity right off the bat,” Bieber said. “That set the tone, and then we let them come back a little bit. But then we shut them off and got back our intensity.”

Elsewhere in the IEL, Kristin Wells had the game-winning single in the seventh inning of the second game, and Britany Schneider, just up from junior varsity, homered in both games as Lakeland (10-9, 9-7) swept visiting Sandpoint 14-4, 9-8 at Rathdrum. Wells, Melissa Frank and Amanda North had three hits apiece in the first game. Schneider also doubled in the second game, helping Kayla VanDyne (5-4) to her second win of the day. The Bulldogs dropped to 0-17, 0-16.