The Front Row with MARK NELKE March 14, 2013

It's kind of like that phone company commercial, where being able to do two things is better than being able to do just one.

Just like two pieces of bacon - especially the real thick stuff - is better than one.

Just like ...

... Ah, you get the drift.

So it was hard to find anybody against the Idaho High School Activities Association's rightful decision to return state softball tournaments to double-elimination this season, after two years of single-elimination with a consolation bracket.

Even Coeur d'Alene High softball coach Larry Bieber.

His Vikings stunned defending champion Lake City 5-2 in the 5A title game last spring in Chubbuck, handing the Timberwolves, unbeaten in 2011, only their second loss of the year.

In previous years, the Vikings would have had to do it again. Last year, they celebrated their fifth state fastpitch title in school history.

"We would have beat them twice - you know that," Bieber said with a laugh.

As you might expect, the view from the other side of U.S. 95 in Coeur d'Alene wasn't the same.

"I think if it would have been double-elimination, it wouldn't have happened twice," Lake City coach Laura Tolzmann said. "It would have been nice to have it (double-elimination) last year."

IN 1999, 2006 and '07, Coeur d'Alene went 4-0 en route to its state titles. In 1998, the Vikings dropped the opener, then won six straight in the losers bracket to claim the title.

"I like it," Bieber said of the switch back to double-elimination. "I've won a state championship by coming back through the bracket."

The tourney was shortened to save time and money. But the old format was spread out too much - a team that ran the table could play one game Thursday afternoon, two on Friday and one on Saturday.

The tourney was shortened to two days the last two years, and, even by bringing back double-elimination this year, they still found a way to play the tourney in two days - imagine that!

"I think it was very important to go back to the true double elimination," said Timberlake coach Mike Menti, who has taken the Tigers to state in each of his first 13 seasons. "The way the state tournament is seeded (where the two best teams could be matched up in the first round), the ability to play a true double elimination is important."

POST FALLS won its only state title in 2010, the last year of double-elimination before this year.

"I don't know why they changed it, pitchers are used to pitching 2-3 games in a day," Post Falls coach Jack Foster said. “It never made any sense.”

The Lakeland Hawks have been regulars at the state 4A tournament. Last year, Lakeland was pounded 18-6 by Kuna in the opener. The Hawks came back to beat Rigby 10-7, then lost the consolation game to Twin Falls 13-2.

“It was really tough last year,” Lakeland coach Colleen Bevacqua said. “We lost the first game, and the wind goes out of your sails pretty quick when you know the title is no longer possible. It’s a long road back (with double-elimination), but at least you can come back. You could potentially have the two best teams matched up right out of the chute.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.