5A REGION 1 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: T-Wolves 10-run way to state
<p>LOREN BENOIT/Press Lake City's Brandon Stapleton (10) celebrates his walk-off RBI ground-rule double with coach Paul Manzardo, middle, Kodie Kolden (2) Dominic Conigliaro (19) and Kaleb Reid (12) during the 5A Region 1 Championship game against Post Falls on Tuesday.</p>
<p>LOREN BENOIT/Press Lake City pitcher Cody Garza delivers a pitch in the early innings of the 5A Region 1 Championship game against Post Falls. Garza recorded four strikeouts, one walk and didn't surrender a hit or run.</p>
COEUR d’ALENE — One moment, the Lake City Timberwolves were trying to figure out how to get a hit off Post Falls pitching.
A few moments later, the Timberwolves were celebrating just their third regional baseball title in school history.
No. 2 seed Lake City strung together all six of its hits in the fifth inning, and scored nine runs to beat the No. 4 seed Trojans 10-0 in the 5A Region 1 championship game Tuesday afternoon at Lake City High.
“It means so much,” said Lake City senior Cody Garza, who finished with a no-hitter. “All of us, especially the seniors, have put so much work in.”
Lake City (16-8) advances to state next week at Memorial Stadium in Boise. The T-Wolves open vs. the District 3 third-place team next Thursday at noon PDT.
Post Falls (13-13) will travel to No. 1 seed Lewiston (20-5) on Thursday in a loser-out game, for a spot in a state play-in game on Saturday. Lewiston eliminated No. 2 seed Coeur d’Alene (15-10) on Tuesday.
In Tuesday’s title game, neither team had a hit until the fifth. Lake City scored in the fourth when Garza drew a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded to force in Brandon Stapleton, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. It was the eighth walk issued by Post Falls starter Josh McGlathery, who also hit two batters.
Jarred Hall led off the fifth for Lake City with a sharp single past the shortstop. Tanner Criswell singled to left field, and McGlathery was pulled after falling behind 2-0 on Stapleton. Matt Flemming came on in relief and completed the walk, loading the bases. Senior Kaleb Reid, the No. 8 hitter, lined a single to center field to score two runs.
Lake City then ran the first-and-third play, with Reid taking off for second. The Trojans threw the ball away at third, and Stapleton scored. Kyle Manzardo walked to load the bases and Garza’s RBI groundout made it 5-0.
Hall grounded a two-run single through the hole into left field, and Criswell followed with a two-run double down the third-base line. The lefty-hitting Stapleton hit a ball over the right fielder’s head for a ground-rule double, scoring Criswell and ending the game on the 10-run rule.
“Unbelievable,” first-year Lake City coach Paul Manzardo said. “It was surreal. I’m so tickled to death for these seniors ... and to be able to do it on their home field.”
Garza struck out four, walked one and hit two. In the fourth, a walk and two wild pitches sent Matt Lebsock to third base with one out. But Garza responded with a strikeout and a comebacker.
“Cody was a trooper; he pitched unbelievably,” Manzardo said. “He competed like I thought Cody Garza would compete.”
Lake City also won regional titles in 2004 and ’07.
“That’s baseball,” Post Falls coach Dustin Frank said of Tuesday’s game. “They started coming up with the clutch hits. They earned a lot of what they got. They made the hits and scored the runs.”
Post Falls 000 00 — 0 0 1
Lake City 000 19 — 10 6 0
Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.
Josh McGlathery, Matt Flemming (5) and Nate Buer; Cody Garza and Grant Wade. W — Garza. L — McGlathery.
HITS: PF — none. LC — Hall 2, Criswell 2, Stapleton, Reid. 2B — Criswell, Stapleton.
Lewiston 5, Coeur d’Alene 2: The Vikings managed five hits as their season ended.
Coeur d’Alene 000 200 0 — 2 5 2
Lewiston 040 001 x — 5 9 3
Toepke and Jacobson; Stamper and Fuller.
HITS: Cd’A — Plum, T. Luckey, Langley, Sumner, Jacobson. Lew — Light, Way 2, Munuz, Washburn, Moore, Phillips, Fuller. 2B — Sumner, Munoz, Phillips.