Trojans trippin' to state

COEUR d’ALENE — The Post Falls Trojans needed Richelle Ashburn — and more importantly, her right arm — to come through on Wednesday with the 5A Region 1 championship on the line. She and her arm did just that — and just as important, her Trojan teammates came through as well, putting together two near-flawless games to earn Post Falls its first trip to state softball as a 5A school.

COEUR d’ALENE — The Post Falls Trojans needed Richelle Ashburn — and more importantly, her right arm — to come through on Wednesday with the 5A Region 1 championship on the line.

She and her arm did just that — and just as important, her Trojan teammates came through as well, putting together two near-flawless games to earn Post Falls its first trip to state softball as a 5A school.

Ashburn struck out 16 in a 2-0 victory over Coeur d’Alene in the semifinals at Ramsey Park, then followed that up with 15 strikeouts in a 2-1 victory at top-seeded Lake City in the championship game, sending Post Falls to state for the first time since 2006 — the Trojans’ last year as a 4A school.

“It felt good, especially for those two (seniors Ashburn and second baseman Bri Joseph),” Post Falls coach Jack Foster said. “Richelle was like she always is, but we had some kids get some big hits at the right time, made some heads-up plays.”

Ashburn has battled shoulder injuries the past two seasons, and the Trojans have used her cautiously — not throwing her in both games of a doubleheader. Until Wednesday, when she gave up just six hits on the day — four in the title game — and did not walk a batter.

“I feel good — I feel like I could pitch another one,” said Ashburn, who has signed to pitch at Seattle U next year. “I was ready for it; we’ve been saving my arm all season for this.”

Post Falls (14-9), the No. 3 seed to regionals, advances to state May 20-22 at Twin Falls High. The Trojans will open at 2 p.m. PDT vs. the loser of today’s District 3 title game between Eagle and Mountain View of Meridian. It will be Post Falls’ third trip to state since softball became fastpitch in 1995. The Trojans were fourth at the state 4A tourney in 2004.

Coeur d’Alene came back to beat Lewiston 3-2 in a loser-out game at Ramsey Park. Coeur d’Alene (21-7) will play at Lake City (20-5) on Friday at 4 p.m. for the region’s second berth to state.

Lewiston finished 15-13.

Post Falls 2, Lake City 1: Post Falls, which starts five freshmen, scored both its runs in the third inning. Bri Joseph led off with a single and stole second. Katie King, one of those freshmen, reached on a fielder’s choice grounder to first, with Joseph advancing to third.

King stole second, and the throw went into center field and Joseph scored. Moments later, King was caught in a rundown off third, but Lake City dropped the throw from the catcher to third base, and King changed direction and scored.

“Mistakes went the other way for a change,” said Foster, whose team has been snakebit in this tournament in recent years. “This is the first time she’s thrown two games in a day all year. Everybody looked at us like we were crazy, but ... it wasn’t worth taking a chance — especially when the weather was bad. And she had no problem today, because of the weather.”

Lake City freshman Casey Stangel nearly matched Ashburn, striking out 11, walking four and giving up five hits.

“Mistakes — that’s the game of fastpitch,” Lake City coach Laura Tolzmann said. “One big hit or one error, that changes everything. I thought Richelle threw well and Casey did as well. Hopefully we’ll see them down there (at state).”

Lake City threatened in the sixth. Kallie Neal singled with two out. Pinch runner MacKenzie Brown stole second. She then tried to steal third, and the throw beat her there, but glanced off the third baseman’s glove and Brown scored.

Ashburn heaved a sigh of relief when Katie Rowe’s fly to deep right center was hauled in by center fielder Heidi Mueller, and heaved another sigh when she struck out the dangerous Stangel leading off the seventh.

“It’s probably one of the best feelings ever,” said Ashburn, who said she’ll probably be icing her shoulder “about five times tonight.”

“I felt confident all day, and it just came down to the whole team contributing, and everyone contributed really well today.”

Post Falls 002 000 0 — 2 5 1

Lake City 000 001 0 — 1 4 2

Richelle Ashburn and Haley Walker; Casey Stangel and Mariah Linahan. W — Ashburn (12-4). L — Stangel (15-5).

HITS: PF — Joseph, Collins 2, Litalien, Mueller. LC — Neal, Stangel 2, Hawkes. 2B — Collins.

Post Falls 2, Coeur d’Alene 0: The game was scoreless until the top of the sixth. Joseph struck out swinging, but the ball skipped off the ground and into the catcher’s glove. Joseph alertly took off for first but the throw went back to the pitcher, and Joseph reached. She was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on Ashburn’s ground single to center field.

In the seventh, sophomore Kendal Floch led off with a double and scored on a groundout.

Scholwinski struck out seven and gave up four hits for Coeur d’Alene.

Post Falls 000 001 1 — 2 4 0

Coeur d’Alene 000 000 0 — 0 2 0

Richelle Ashburn and Haley Walker; Lindsie Scholwinski and Tiegan Lockwood. W — Ashburn (11-4). L — Scholwinski (13-5).

HITS: PF — Ashburn 2, Litalien, Floch. Cd’A — Parker, Tindall. 2B — Floch.

Lake City 9, Lewiston 2: In the other semifinal, Stangel struck out 13 and went 3 for 4, including a two-run single in the sixth inning.

Jamie Hall hit a two-run homer in the third inning, and Jamie Yurick had a two-run single in the second.

Lewiston 110 000 0 — 2 9 2

Lake City 024 012 x — 9 13 1

Chelsea Tomason, Shawnee Zink (6) and Shaundee Garrett; Casey Stangel and Mariah Linahan. W — Stangel (15-4). L — Tomason.

HITS: Lew — Redd 3, Parsons 2, Garrett, Baldwin, Honthorn, Wilson. LC — Short 2, Neal, Rowe, Stangel 3, Leddy, Barrowcliff, Hall 2, Kritz, Yurick. 2B — Redd, Neal, Rowe, Stangel, Leddy. HR — Hall.

Coeur d’Alene 3, Lewiston 2: The Vikings tied the game with two in the fourth, then scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. With the bases loaded, Chelsey Rasmussen’s popup behind first base was dropped, and Nina Goodwin scored from third base.

In the fourth, Jessica Lupinacci singled, Goodwin doubled her home, then scored the tying run on Hailey Petit’s single.

Goodwin finished 3 for 3 with a double and two runs scored.

Lewiston 110 000 0 — 2 5 0

Coeur d’Alene 000 201 x — 3 7 2

L. Young and Garrett; Lindsie Scholwinski and Tiegan Lockwood. W — Scholwinski (14-5). L — Young.

HITS: Lew — Redd, Parsons, Roth 2, Feucht. Cd’A — Lupinacci, Goodwin 3, Petit, Ragsdale, Spencer. 2B — Goodwin. 3B — Lupinacci.