PREP BASEBALL: And now, the IEL race is a lot more tied up

POST FALLS — By rule, it’s a tie.

But it’s not what Lake City coach Mike Criswell or Post Falls coach Kurt Reese had in mind for the conclusion of Tuesday’s second game of an Inland Empire League doubleheader.

Lake City took a 5-4 lead with one out and had the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning of the second game before the game was called due to darkness. In that case, the game reverts to the previously completed inning, which left the teams tied at 4-4. Since the game was past five innings, it is considered a complete game and ends in a tie.

“It’s a crazy rule, and not the way you want to end a game like that,” Post Falls coach Kurt Reese said. “And I know Mike wasn’t happy about it either, but it was getting dark and we weren’t going to finish the inning. We’d love to get lights, or play single games to make sure to get them in in the future. It’s not the way you want it to end for sure.”

In the first game, junior Caleb Jimerson struck out 10 in a 3-2 win for the Trojans, who took the lead on an RBI single by Austin DeBoer in the bottom of the fifth inning.

“I was happy with the way the kids bounced back after Saturday,” said Reese of his team, which was swept at Lake City on Saturday. “The kids were determined and Caleb’s pitching was the catalyst for that. It was just two really good teams going at it.”

Ty Shepard drove in both runs for Lake City in the opener.

Lake City (14-5-1, 11-4-1 IEL), leads the league by one game-plus over Coeur d’Alene (12-7, 9-5), with the teams scheduled to play a doubleheader at Lake City next Tuesday.

Post Falls (11-5-1, 8-5-1) travels to Moscow on Thursday for a doubleheader, then hosts Lewiston in a twinbill next Tuesday to conclude the regular season.

FIRST GAME

Lake City    001    010    0    —    2    3    1

Post Falls    000    210    x    —    3    7    2

Cooper Reese, Kyle Johnson (5) and Cooper Smith; Caleb Jimerson, Austin DeBoer (7) and Marshall Tomlinson.

HITS: LC — Shepard, Smith, Cherry. PF — DeBoer 2, Ziegler, Morrison, C. Jimerson, Cooley, Diamond. 2B — DeBoer.

SECOND GAME

Lake City    000    04    —    4    3    3

Post Falls    210    10    —    4    4    0

Game called with 1 out in top of 6th inning due to darkness.

Avrey Cherry, Nate Weatherhead (3) and Cooper Smith; Austin DeBoer, Danny Devoren (5) and Aidan Tomlinson.

HITS: LC — Smith, Holecek, Hawkins. PF — Ziegler, A. Tomlinson, Diamond 2. 2B — Diamond, A. Tomlinson.

Lewiston 12-6

Lakeland 9-0

RATHDRUM — Senior Jace Cooksey, who recently signed a letter of intent to play at NAIA Arizona Christian in Glendale, Ariz., had a three-run single in a seven-run bottom of the sixth inning for the Hawks in the first game of an Inland Empire League doubleheader at Gorton Field.

“The guys were hitting the ball hard all day and some hits started to fall for us,” Lakeland coach Al Bevacqua said of the sixth inning. “We really started to take advantage of our pitch counts and got some things going. We’ve got to learn to finish games a little better, but we’ll get there.”

Lakeland led 9-6 after six innings, but Lewiston scored three runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings, then added three runs in the top of the ninth to win the opener.

Lewiston (11-7, 8-6) IEL) took the nightcap 6-0, with Austin Topp limiting Lakeland (7-11, 2-10) to four hits.

Lewiston, which trails Coeur d’Alene by one game in the league standings, hosts the Vikings on Saturday at Church Field in Lewiston.

Lakeland is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Sandpoint on Friday.

FIRST GAME

Lewiston    101    130    303    —    12    13    5

Lakeland    100    017    000    —    9    11    6

Zach Bambacigno, W. Wagner (6), Cody Ray (6) and River Stamper; Collin Killian, Jake Jovick (5), Roan Reilly (7), Jace Taylor (7), Cash Lund (8) and Kevin Slover. 

HITS: Lew — Ray, Kolb 2, Phillips 3, Krasselt 3, Stamper, Topp, Wagner, Bambacigno. LL — Taylor, Howard, Mason, T. Ellwood 2, Slover, Cooksey, Reilly, Lund, Larcher 2. 2B — Lund.

SECOND GAME

Lewiston    100    410    0    —    6    10    1

Lakeland    000    000    0    —    0    4    4

Austin Topp and unknown; Jake Larcher, Broxton Lukey (4) and Hunter Averitt.

HITS: Lew — Green, Krasselt 2, Kolb, Phillips, Ray 2, Topp 2, Kennedy. LL — T. Ellwood, Killian, Lund, Howard.

Freeman 3

Timberlake 2

ROCKFORD, Wash. — Riley Brennan doubled and scored on an RBI single by Grant Allaway in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game at 2 for the Tigers, but the Scotties won it on a walk-off error in the bottom of the seventh.

Timberlake (8-7-1) travels to Deer Park on Thursday.

Timberlake    001    000    1    —    2    4    3

Freeman    000    101    1    —    3    3    2

0 out when winning run scored.

Caden Robinett, Grant Allaway (6) and Nate Beardsall; Jack Florence, Nash McLean (5) and Brenan Ladwig, Florence (5).

HITS: TL — Lenz, Brennan 2, Allaway. Free — McLean, Florence, Claunch. 2B — Brennan.

Orofino 13

St. Maries 12

OROFINO — Riley Abell had a two-run single to give the Lumberjacks an 11-10 lead with one out in the top of the seventh inning before the Maniacs walked it off on a RBI single by Quinn Naranjo for the Central Idaho League win.

Abell doubled twice and drove in four runs for St. Maries, which trailed 8-0 after three innings, but rallied with a nine-run top of the seventh inning to take a 12-10 lead.

Silas Naranjo had four hits, three RBIs and three runs scored for Orofino (16-2-1, 7-0-1 CIL), which faces Priest River in a doubleheader on Friday in Priest River.

St. Maries (9-11, 5-5) faces Kellogg in a doubleheader next Tuesday at Morehouse Field in Osburn.

St. Maries    000    021    9    —    12    19    1

Orofino        035    002    3    —    13    20    0

Two outs when winning run scored.

Chris Brusseau, Trey Gibson (4), Landen Holmes (7) and Gabe Long; Dashel Barlow, Gavin Christopherson (7) and Silas Naranjo.

HITS: SM — Long 3, Abell 4, W. Holmes, L. Holmes 3, Gibson 4, Tefft 2, Lingo, Baker. Oro — Olive 2, Tondevold 2, Howell 2, Barlow 4, S. Naranjo 4, Hudson, Runia 2, Cochran 2, Q. Naranjo. 2B — Tefft, Gibson, L. Holmes, Abell 2, Tondevold, Barlow, Howell, S. Naranjo 3. 

Grangeville 5

Kellogg 1

OSBURN — Travis Eixenberger doubled leading off the bottom of the seventh inning and scored on an RBI single by Logan Smith, two of the Wildcats’ three hits on the day in a Central Idaho League loss to the Bulldogs at Morehouse Field.

Smith had the other Kellogg hit, a single leading off the bottom of the second inning for the Wildcats (6-8, 3-4 CIL), who are scheduled to play a doubleheader at Grangeville on Saturday at noon.

Sam Lindsley struck out 12 for Grangeville (16-3, 7-3).

Grangeville    200    003    0    —    5    9    1

Kellogg        000    000    1    —    1    3    1

Sam Lindsley and David Goicoa; Travis Eixenberger and Austin Clapper.

HITS: Grange — Goicoa 2, Holes 3, Klement, Lindsley, Jackson, Sickels. Kell — Eixenberger, Smith 2. 

    MARK NELKE/Press Lakeland sophomore second baseman Jake Larcher (4) awaits the throw from the catcher as Tucker Green of Lewiston slides in safely during the first game Tuesday at Gorton Field in Rathdrum.