Vikings, Lake City to square off for 5A crown

CHUBBUCK - The Coeur d'Alene Vikings used to be regulars in the state 5A softball championship game, reaching the title game 11 times in 13 seasons, but haven't played for the title since 2009.

That changed on Friday, when the Vikings beat Capital of Boise 3-0 and Meridian 7-4 on the first day of the state 5A tournament at Capell Park.

Coeur d'Alene (21-5) will play defending champion Lake City (23-1) in the state title game today at noon PDT.

"These kids deserve it," Coeur d'Alene coach Larry Bieber said. "They've worked really hard, and battled back from some adversity."

Coeur d'Alene, a four-time state champion, beat Lake City for the state title in 1999 and 2006. Lake City won its other state title in 2001.

Lake City beat Timberline of Boise 11-0 and Mountain View of Meridian 9-2 on Friday to return to the title game.

“It just shows how good the programs are in the north,” Lake City assistant coach Dan Silvis said of the all-North Idaho title game.

In the state 4A tourney at Twin Falls, Lakeland lost 18-6 to Kuna, then beat Rigby 10-7. The Hawks (16-7) will play Twin Falls (23-4) today at 10 a.m. PDT for the consolation title.

“I’m so proud of my girls for coming back after a tough loss,” Lakeland coach Colleen Bevacqua said.

Coeur d’Alene 3, Capital 0: Lindsie Scholwinski struck out 13 and pitched a five-hit shutout for the Vikings. She also hit a home run in the second inning to just right of center field “which I think is still travelling,” Bieber said.

In the seventh, Zoe Clark hit a sacrifice fly, and the runner at second also scored on the play on an error.

Coeur d’Alene 010 000 2 — 3 7 0

Capital 000 000 0 — 0 5 1

Lindsie Scholwinski and Rashell Shaffer; Wong and Barnes. W — Scholwinski (9-2). L — Wong.

HITS: Cd’A — B. Albertson 2, Scholwinski 2, S. Parker, K. Parker, Spencer. Cap — Traug, Ward, Carr, Tracy, Barnes. 3B — B. Albertson. HR — Scholwinski (2).

Coeur d’Alene 7, Meridian 4: Brooke Albertson hit a two-run homer in the first inning for Coeur d’Alene off Meridian’s Courtney Pena, who handed Lake City its only loss earlier this season. Albertson now has six home runs this season — the old school record was four, shared by three players.

Chelsey Rasmussen’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth broke a 4-all tie, and triggered a three-run inning. The sac fly gave Rasmussen 42 RBIs, breaking the single-season record of 41 held by Blake Hoorelbeke. Albertson followed Rasmussen’s RBI with a run-scoring single.

When the first two Meridian runners reached in the top of the seventh, Scholwinski came on in relief of Nikki Ragsdale and got two strikeouts and a ground ball to end the game.

“The first game we pitched well and played good defense,” Bieber said. “The second game we hit her hard, but on defense we didn’t play very well. I’m just happy we could win whatever way we were playing.”

Meridian 001 120 0 — 4 6 3

Coeur d’Alene 210 103 x — 7 9 4

Courtney Pena and Fannig; Nikki Ragsdale, Lindsie Scholwinski (7) and Rashell Shafer. W — Ragsdale (12-3). L — Pena. S — Scholwinski (2).

HITS: Mer — Buntcher 3, Fannig, Pill, Romero. Cd’A — S. Parker 3, B. Albertson 2, K. Parker 2, Spencer, Tindall. 2B — Buntcher 3. HR — B. Albertson (6).

Lake City 10, Timberline 0: Casey Stangel pitched a no-hitter with seven strikeouts for the Timberwolves, with the lone Wolves runner reaching base on an error in the first inning.

Stangel hit a three-run homer in the second inning. In the first, she opened the scoring with an RBI double. Katie Rowe followed with a two-run homer, and Hailey Jackson followed with a solo shot.

“They were up, intensity-wise, then we came up and it was ‘Bam,’” Silvis said. “It sent out a statement that the girls were ready to play this weekend.”

Jackson’s RBI double ended the game in the fifth on the 10-run rule.

Timberline 000 00 — 0 0 4

Lake City 430 03 — 10 12 1

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

Mackenna Landis and Elaine Sperry; Casey Stangel and Vanessa Shippy. W — Stangel (21-1). L — Landis.

HITS: TL — none. LC — J. Wilson 2, Shippy 2, Stangel 2, Rowe 2, Jackson 2, Edwards, Gay. 2B — Stangel, Jackson. HR — Stangel, Rowe, Jackson.

Lake City 9, Mountain View 2: The T-Wolves again started strong in the first inning, with an RBI single by Rowe and a two-run single by Jackson. Rowe also hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, and Stangel struck out 11 in a four-hitter.

Lake City 310 041 0 — 9 13 0

Mountain View 000 020 0 — 2 4 1

Casey Stangel and Vanessa Shippy; Courtney Moore, Michaela Barr (5) and Destiny Turner. W — Stangel (22-1). L — Moore.

HITS: LC — J. Wilson, Shippy 2, Stangel 2, Rowe 3, Jackson 2, Kritz, McCracken, D. Wilson. MV — Barr 2, Turner, Barnes. 2B — Jackson, McCracken. HR — Rowe.

Kuna 18, Lakeland 6: Erin Ogden went 3 for 3 and scored a run for Lakeland, but six errors doomed the Hawks.

“If something could go wrong, it did in the first game,” Bevacqua said. “We were really having a tough time — a lot of errors that we don’t usually make.”

Kuna 132 050 7 — 18 13 1

Lakeland 100 120 2 — 6 11 6

Nicole Arizana and Aubree Newman; Kristin Klopatek and Kendra Rebal. W — Arizena. L — Klopatek (15-6).

HITS: Kun — Arizana 3, T. Callahan 1, Newman, Robirts, Shaw 3, Desloover, Harris 2, M. Callahan. LL — Schwalbach 2, Kastning 2, Schorzman, Glenn 2, Rebel, Ogden 3. 2B — Arizana 3, Newman, Shaw, Harris, Schorzman, Schwalbach, Rebal. 3B — M. Callahan, Kastning.

Lakeland 10, Rigby 7: Lauren Schwalbach singled and scored on a single by Tifani Schorzman in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 7-all tie. Teri Glenn followed with an RBI double, and scored on an error.

Schorzman and Bekah Kastning each had three hits for Lakeland. Kastning hit an inside-the-park homer in the third inning and added a two-run triple in the fourth.

Rigby 231 010 0 — 7 11 2

Lakeland 101 503 x — 10 14 2

MaCee Miller and Ally Saathoff; Kristin Klopatek and Kendra Rebal. W — Klopatek (16-6). L — Miller.

HITS: Rig — Daw 3, Saathoff 3, Miller 2, Parkes, Jackson 2. LL — Schwalbach, Kastning 3, Schorzman 3, Latham, Glenn 3, Klopatek, Rebel, Card. 2B — Saathoff, Parkes, Glenn, Card. 3B — Kastning. HR — Kastning.