PREP SOFTBALL: Davenport, Knutson lead Coeur d'Alene to third straight regional title

By MARK NELKE

Sports editor

5A REGION 1

Jenna Davenport is referred to as a “bulldog” by her coach, Bobbi Darretta, and on Tuesday the Coeur d’Alene High freshman showed why.

After striking out nine in a complete-game victory in the first game earlier Tuesday, Davenport watched the start of the championship game of the 5A Region 1 softball tournament from the dugout.

But when junior Leah Nordman, who started the title game, left after taking a hard smash off her right (pitching) forearm in the third inning, Davenport returned to the circle and completed the job for the day.

Davenport pitched 4.2 innings of one-run relief, and sophomore Morgan Knutson drove in three runs and made a terrific catch in right field, as top-seeded Coeur d’Alene beat third-seeded Lewiston 7-4 at Coeur d’Alene High’s Larry Schwenke Field for the Vikings’ third straight regional title.

“I’m always ready to come in,” said Davenport, whose Vikings beat fourth-seeded Post Falls 9-5 in the opener at CHS. “But I’m always cheering for Leah to the last second, right?”

And when Nordman got hurt?

“It’s my turn,” Davenport said. “Both of us have the ability to finish a game. I was ready to go after it; I really wanted it. It (adrenaline) kinda takes over. It’s usually the next day you feel tired and sore, but during the moment it’s just really exciting.”

Coeur d’Alene (19-5) advances to state May 16-18 at Post Falls High. The Vikings’ first-round foe one week from Thursday will be determined by MaxPreps rankings at the conclusion of the state-qualifying tournaments this week. In the last posted rankings on Monday, Coeur d’Alene was 11th.

Lake City, the No. 2 seed, lost twice on Tuesday and was eliminated. Playing at Finucane Park in Hayden, the Timberwolves (15-9) lost 10-1 to Lewiston, then fell 7-1 to Post Falls.

Post Falls (6-18) will play at Lewiston (14-10) on Thursday at 4 p.m., with the winner advancing to a state play-in game Saturday at Prairie.

Coeur d’Alene 7, Lewiston 4: Davenport scattered four hits and struck out three in her relief stint, the lone run coming on a homer by Jenna Barney in the seventh.

The lefty hitting Davenport also laced an RBI double to left center in the third to put the Vikings up 4-3. Coeur d’Alene never trailed again.

“Jenna has been fantastic,” Darretta said. “She just has a good mental state … I call her a bulldog because she has so much fight in her. And I told her ‘You are, because you never give up.’”

Knutson doubled in a pair of runs in the first inning for Coeur d’Alene, and singled in the Vikings’ final run in the sixth.

But her biggest play came with her glove, when the right fielder charged in and made a shoetop, diving, tumbling catch of a line drive with a runner at third, one out in the sixth and Coeur d’Alene leading 5-3. 

Not only did she make the catch, the runner held at third, and Davenport struck out the next batter to end the inning.

“There was a girl at third, and I didn’t want her to get home,” Knutson said. “Coach Bobbi is always telling me to be more aggressive, and I think I’ve really been working at that, and I know Abby Moehring is behind me if I miss it.”

“She was fantastic today,” Darretta said of Knutson. “She does it in practice and she works hard and she gets them (diving catches). And I tell her, ‘Yes, there’s some times where you shouldn’t dive, but there’s some times when we need an out. It’s right there, go get it. Be aggressive; make a great play.’”

Lewiston    102    000    1    —    4    9    5

Coeur d’Alene    202    012    x    —`    7    8    1

Ashland Schnell, Jenna Barney (5) and Caitrin Reel; Leah Nordman, Jenna Davenport (3) and Kyndal Bridge.

HITS: Lew — Ready, Barney 3, Schnell, Thorson, Reel 2, Nuxoll. Cd’A — Burke, Bridge, Linder, Knutson 2, Vignale, Davenport 2. 2B — Nuxoll, Reel, Davenport, Knutson 2. HR — Barney. 

Coeur d’Alene 9, Post Falls 5: Moehring hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning to extend the Vikings’ lead to 8-4. 

Abbey Linder had two hits and drove in two runs, Kyndal Bridge went 2 for 3 with two doubles and two runs scored, and Chloe Burke had two hits and scored twice.

Davenport went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI in both games.

Post Falls    000    130    1    —    5    7    1

Coeur d’Alene    003    321    1    —    9    11    4

Kayla Rouse, Jaya Felix (5) and McKenna Zimmerman; Jenna Davenport and Kyndal Bridge.

HITS: PF — Zimmerman, Felix, Rouse, Wasson, Carpenter, Blair, Williams. Cd’A — Burke 2, Nelson, Bridge, Linder 2, Davenport 2, Moehring, Vignale. 2B — Felix, Carpenter, Bridge 2, Davenport. HR — Moehring. 

Lewiston 10, Lake City 1: After the Timberwolves snatched the No. 2 seed from the Bengals with a sweep on Thursday, the Bengals jumped on Lake City with four runs in the third inning and six in the sixth on Tuesday. 

Ava Thorson hit a grand slam in the third for Lewiston to open the scoring. Barney hit a grand slam in the sixth, and struck out seven in five innings in the circle.

Lewiston    004    006    0    —    10    8    0

Lake City    000    010    0    —    1    5    0

Jenna Barney, Ashland Schnell (6) and Caitrin Reel; Kylee Palmer, Maddy Blood (6) and Taylor Hill.

HITS: Lew — Arellano 2, Ready, Barney, Thorson 2, Thayer, Reel. LC — Schiley, Kolden, Peterson, Blood, Thomas. HR — Thorson, Barney.

Post Falls 7, Lake City 1: Kayla Rouse scattered six hits and allowed just one run in a complete game for the Trojans in the loser-out game at Finucane.

Riley Carpenter went 3 for 4 and drove in a run for Post Falls, and Jaya Felix and Sienna Williams each had two hits.

Maddy Blood and Sammie Chavez had two hits each for Lake City.

Post Falls    011    022    1    —    7    8    1

Lake City    010    000    0    —    1    6    6

Kayla Rouse and McKenna Zimmerman; Maddy Blood, Kylee Palmer (4), Layla Gugino (6) and Taylor Hill.

HITS: PF — Zimmerman, Felix 2, Williams 2, Carpenter 3. LC — Hill, Peterson, Blood 2, Chavez 2. 2B — Zimmerman, Felix, Blood, Chavez. 3B — S. Williams.

4A REGION 1

Lakeland wins, then drops opener of title series

MOSCOW — The second-seeded Hawks beat the third-seeded Sandpoint Bulldogs 12-1 in a loser-out first-round game at the Moscow School District Community Playfields on Tuesday, then fell to the top-seeded Moscow Bears 11-1 in Game 1 of a best-of-3 series for the regional title.

Lakeland (10-13) plays at Moscow (13-10) on Thursday at 5 p.m. in Game 2. 

Sandpoint finished 3-22.

Against Sandpoint, Delilah Zimmerman went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored for Lakeland, including an RBI triple and a two-run homer in a nine-run fifth.

Raygen Dutton hit a three-run double in the fifth inning, and Alexis Hanna was 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored.

In Game 1 of the regional title series, Kelly Stodick of Moscow struck out five and held Lakeland to four hits. Kaci Kiblen went 3 for 3 with a two-run homer in the fourth, and four runs scored.

Sandpoint    000    10    —    1    4    4

Lakeland    300    09    —    12    12    1

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Hali Smotherman and Bailey Lancaster; Mia Kesner, Abby Helmholz (5) and Payton Sterling. 

HITS: Spt — McCown, Skibutsky, Cessna, Newsom. LL — Hanna 3, Zimmerman 3, Drake, Frank, Blakemore, Corbey, Dutton, Dewey. 2B — Newsom, Dewey, Zimmerman, Dutton, Drake. 3B — Zimmerman. HR — Zimmerman.

Lakeland    000    10    —    1    4    6

Moscow    230    42    —    11    10    1

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Abby Helmholz, Mia Briggs (4) and Katie Dewey, Payton Sterling (3); Kelly Stodick and Megan Highfill. 

HITS: LL — Zimmerman, Blakemore, Dutton, Dewey. Mos — Kiblen 3, Branen, Highfill, Stodick, Pfiffner, Newlan 3. HR — Kiblen.

2A DISTRICT 1-2

Lumberjacks, Wildcats drop into losers bracket

OROFINO — Third-seeded St. Maries fell to second-seeded Grangeville 12-3, and top-seeded Orofino downed fourth-seeded Kellogg 9-2 in the semifinal round of the 2A District 1-2 tournament.

At 4 p.m. Thursday at Orofino, Orofino (17-7) will play Grangeville (15-7) in the championship game for a berth to state, and St. Maries (5-17) will meet Kellogg (7-13) in a loser-out game. The two remaining teams will play at 6 for the district’s second berth to state.

Madison Thomas had a double and an RBI and scored twice for St. Maries vs. Grangeville.

St. Maries    100    020    0    —    3    4    8

Grangeville    405    030    x    —    12    10    0

Lyssa Watkins, Addyson Stewart (3) and Brenna Elliott; Mattie Thacker and unknown.

HITS: SM — Thomas, Nicholson, Stewart, L. Brebner. Grange — Frei 2, Vanderwall, Green 2, Thacker 2, Anderson 2, Brown. 2B — Thomas, Frei. 3B — Green.

    MARK NELKE/Press Coeur d'Alene right fielder Morgan Knutson makes a lunging, diving, rolling catch of a sinking liner in the sixth inning of the 5A Region 1 softball championship game against Lewiston on Tuesday at Coeur d'Alene High.