Lake City earns shot at title

BOISE – Timberline wrote the obituary, scheduled a service, even dug a grave for Lake City’s state baseball championship hopes.

But the Timberwolves opted not to show up for their own funeral, coming back from a 6-0 deficit to beat the Boise school 8-7 in the 5A state tournament semifinals at Borah High’s Wigle Field on Friday night.

Lake City (21-6) tries to unseat defending state champion Lewiston, a 7-1 winner over Mountain View, at 6 p.m. today at Memorial Field.

“We just play as a team. We don’t roll over,” said Lake City second baseman Chris Combo. “We don’t die.”

The 21-7 Boise team certainly hoped that would be the case. After sending 12 batters to the plate to score six runs in the top of the first inning, Timberline was in control.

But Lake City rapped out 14 hits, scoring once in the bottom of the third and once again in the bottom of the fourth. A five-run fifth tied the contest.

Combo’s two-out single in the sixth made Timberline pay for a silly error.

“The best thing was the offensive production – the coming back, the never-quit attitude of these kids,” said Lake City coach Cory Bridges. “All through the lineup we had some big hits.”

Alex Capaul started the bottom of the sixth with an easy ground ball back to the mound. Timberline pitcher A.J. Work took his time before he lollipopped a throw toward first base. The throw bounced in the dirt and surprised first baseman Nick Jorgensen, who in trying to pick up the ball, batted it around. Capaul, who had slowed when the out looked inevitable, kicked back into gear and was safe at first.

Two wild pitches while Work got the next two batters out sent Capaul to third.

Combo grounded a 3-1 pitch out of anyone’s reach through the right side of the infield for the game-winning RBI.

“After it got 3-1, I thought fastball,” Combo said. “But he threw me a curve. I just adjusted and hit it where he threw it.”

A parade of Lake City relievers – Tucker Anderson, Danny Griffin and Dalton Staggs – blanked Timberline the last four innings.

Griffin (4-0) got the victory. Staggs picked up a save, retiring the top of the Timberline order 1-2-3 in the seventh, with the help of a running catch by center fielder Kyle Johnson.

Timberline plays Mountain View for third place. Boise and Idaho Falls play for fifth.