Lakeland drops opener; Bears win

Lakeland did almost everything it needed to do to win in Thursday’s opening round of the State 4A softball tournament at Post Falls High School.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, they did absolutely everything to lose, giving up five unearned runs, committing seven errors and squandering a pair of late-inning, come-from-behind rallies in a 5-3 loss to Minico of Rupert.

The loss sends Lakeland (13-13) into a loser-out contest this morning at 10 against Blackfoot. The Broncos (17-6) fell to Kuna 1-0 in eight innings in their first-round game.

In other tourney action, Moscow needed an extra frame to knock off Jerome 6-5 and Bishop Kelly blanked Pocatello 10-0 in six innings. Moscow (10-14) plays BK (14-13) and Kuna (17-11) meets Minico (16-11) today in a pair of winners’ bracket games beginning at noon. Pocatello (17-10) and Jerome (21-11) square off in a loser-out game at 10 a.m.

After giving up two runs on three errors in the first, Lakeland starter Jaymi Fyfe and the Hawks settled down and held the Spartans scoreless for the next three innings.

The Hawks, who didn’t get a runner to first base through the first four innings off Minico starter Amber Warth, evened the score at 2 in the fifth on a pair of RBI singles by Jodee Janhsen and Abby Cederblom.

Minico took advantage of a passed ball in bottom of the inning, advancing runners to second and third and taking the lead at 3-2 on Micah Boehler’s sacrifice fly.

Lakeland again tied it up at 3 in the sixth on Heather Simpson’s high sacrifice fly to right. The Hawks loaded the bases with two out, but were unable to capitalize as Kristen Wells battled hard and fouled off two line drives before striking out to end the inning.

The Spartans led off their half of the sixth with singles from Amy Johnson and Warth before Fyfe regained control, striking out Meghan Boettcher. But on strike three, Hawks catcher Mallory Twidt’s attempted pickoff throw to second went into center field and got by Heather Simpson, allowing Johnson to come all the way home with the game-winning run. Wendy Meiners added an RBI groundout to provide insurance.

Cederblom led off the seventh with a single to right, but was doubled off, failing to get back to the first after Twidt lined to Boettcher at shortstop. Warth then struck out Brittani Schneider to end the contest.

First-year Lakeland coach Colleen Nave didn’t mince words after the loss.

“We beat ourselves,” Nave said. “I don’t believe that they had one earned run in that game – it was all errors on our behalf.

“It depends on what team is going to show up; I’ve said it all year – we’re either hot, or we’re not.”

Janhsen, the Hawks’ stalwart first baseman whose sparkling play in the field included a rally-killing force at third on an attempted sacrifice bunt in the second, said it’s too early to count out her team.

“We’re going to come out tomorrow and win,” Janhsen said. “We’re going to get our heads together like we always do and come out and win.”

Minico’s Warth and Callie Asher both had three singles.

Moscow 6, Jerome 5 (8): The Bears won their game in high drama, on the international tiebreaker.

The Bears gave up a run in the top of the eighth and scored two in the bottom half, the game-winner coming on a routine two-out ground ball to Tigers pitcher McKenzie Mangum. Mangum, who belted a three-run homer in the third inning for Jerome, fielded it cleanly and then overthrew first base, allowing pinch-runner Ariel Dennis to come around from second.

As Dennis crossed home, she jumped into a red-and-black sea of ecstatic teammates.

“I told the girls, ‘Way to not get down on yourselves. Way to push through, way to battle back,’ ” Moscow coach Jessica Shawley said.

“We’re doing a great job of that.”