Sloppy spring could lead to fast finish
The spring hasn’t been too kind on those area high school sports teams that are trying to fit whatever season they can into the final weeks of the school year.
And while they might be starting to get a little closer to the finish line, the pace of games still hasn’t quite picked up as much lately.
EARLIER THIS week, a game scheduled for Rathdrum between the Lakeland baseball team and Lewiston was later moved to Church Field, just to get the game in.
Thus far, Timberlake’s baseball team has played four games under first-year coach Cameron Knigge entering a scheduled doubleheader today against Priest River in Spirit Lake.
With only a 20-percent chance of rain in the forecast, it’s as close to 100 percent that they’ll actually get those games in as scheduled for the first time all year.
On Wednesday afternoon, while playing in the girls Palouse Ridge Invitational, Lake City finished second, despite what coach Corey Owen called challenging conditions.
“We had one girl that had a nagging injury that didn’t finish and another that was hurt, but gutted it out,” Owen said. “It rained off and on all day, and the wind added a real challenge.”
Then again, it could have been the best thing for them.
“For the girls to play that well in those conditions, it shows that they’re tough and can play in anything,” Owen said. “And that’s something we like to see as a coaching staff.”
Lake City will hope for better weather — obviously — when it hosts its annual invitational golf tournament Monday at Coeur d’Alene Golf Club.
WHILE THEY had to get a little creative with their schedule, traveling to the Tri-Cities to get a home game in against Mead High of Spokane, the Coeur d’Alene Vikings have won six of their last seven baseball games, most recently beating Cheney 11-1 on Thursday at home.
“We really try to pride ourselves on pitching and defense,” second-year Coeur d’Alene coach Nick Mahin said. “At the plate, we try not to worry about own personal results and just have good at-bats, and it’s starting to show in what we’re doing. It’s definitely fun to watch as a coach and watch them buy into that philosophy. To see those seniors that have been with the program buy into that, it’s really cool to see.”
Coeur d’Alene hasn’t advanced to state since 2014 and opens the 5A Inland Empire League schedule today with a doubleheader at Post Falls.
No pressure on whoever gets out of the Region 1 tournament, but the previous two teams to win the regional title have advance to the title game, with Lake City winning the state title in 2016.
Back to the Coeur d’Alene pitching rotation for a minute.
In Thursday’s win over Sandpoint, Viking pitcher Justin Bates allowed two hits and struck out six in four innings. On April 5, Daniel Gunnerson struck out nine and walked two in four innings of work.
While Mahin was pleased, those on the mound were not.
“What I love about those guys, they could both have a great day on the mound, but they’re more upset about the walks,” Mahin said. “I was going to let Bates go back out for the fifth but after a long inning (Coeur d’Alene scored six in the fourth), I decided to let some other guys get some work. Justin wasn’t happy with his last inning and finishing with four walks. They hold themselves accountable to always get better, and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”
With that kind of attitude, it could be well worth seeing how it all plays out in a few weeks.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.