Lums bow out in 2 at state AA tourney
TWIN FALLS — Another close call, but another tough loss for the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen.
The Lums rallied in the bottom of the ninth, and brought the tying run to the plate, but fell short for the second straight day in a 10-7 loss to the Boise Gems in a loser-out game at the state AA American Legion baseball tournament Thursday at the College of Southern Idaho’s Skip Walker Field.
Coeur d’Alene, which lost 2-1 to the Mountain View Toros of Meridian in the first round on Wednesday, finish the season 14-24.
“It’s disappointing, but from where the kids started the season to where they are now, there was definitely improvement,” first-year Lums coach Kevin Dunton said. “I think they saw they could compete with the seven other teams at state.”
Coeur d’Alene jumped on top first, with Conner Conigliaro’s RBI single jump-starting a three-run first inning.
Layton Wagner of the Gems (28-12) tied the game with a three-run homer in the second inning, and Boise built an 8-3 lead after five.
Conigliaro drove in a pair of runs for Coeur d’Alene, and Riley Alley, Levi Haen and Bennett Cunningham each had two hits for the young Lums, who had just two seniors on the roster, and no college returnees.
Dunton said what the Lums learned from state was “just the little things you need to do when you’re competing other good teams. Obviously the kids were disappointed, I’m disappointed, but big picture, the kids had a good summer of baseball.”
Boise Gems 040 310 020 — 10 11 2
Coeur d’Alene 300 002 101 — 7 11 3
Tomas Vizgirdas, Jonah Hultberg (7) and Hultberg, No. 11 (7); Brett Stapleton, Brett Keesee (6) and Hunter Wabs. W — Vizgirdas. L — Stapleton (1-6).
HITS: Gems — Vizgirdas, McFarland-Smith 3, Wagner, Hultberg 2, Duffy 2, Funkhouser 2. Lums — Alley 2, Bloom, Conigliaro, Haen 2, Thompson, Wabs, Cunningham 2. 2B — Vizgirdas, Hultberg, Duffy, Alley, Haen. HR — Wagner.
STATE AA AMERICAN LEGION
BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
at College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls
Times PDT
Wednesday
Idaho Falls 17, Treasure Valley 10
Mountain View 2, Coeur d’Alene 1
Lewis-Clark 9, Meridian 0
Twin Falls Cowboys 11, Boise Gems 7
Thursday
Treasure Valley Stars 8, Meridian Rangers 0, loser out
Boise Gems 10, Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen 7, loser out
Lewis-Clark Twins 6, Idaho Falls Bandits 0
Twin Falls Cowboys 8, Mountain View Toros 7
Friday
Game 9 — Boise Gems (28-12) vs. Idaho Falls Bandits (43-5), noon
Game 10 — Treasure Valley Stars (23-18) vs. Mountain View Toros, 3 p.m.
Game 11 — Lewis-Clark (34-9) vs. Twin Falls Cowboys, 6
Saturday
Game 12 — Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 3 p.m.
Game 13 — Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 10, 6
Sunday
Game 14 — Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 12, noon (championship game)
Game 15 — Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14, 3 p.m. (if-necessary championship game)
Lums 17U win opener
at state A tourney
NAMPA — Devon Johnson drove in the go-ahead runs with a two-run single in the top of the seventh, and the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen 17U squad survived a wild bottom half of the inning to beat the Twin Falls Blackhawks 7-6 in the first round of the state class AA Legion baseball tournament at Rodeo Park.
“It was an insane seventh inning,” Lums coach Pat Capone said. “But we weathered the storm.”
Coeur d’Alene (44-11) plays the Idaho Falls Grizzlies today at 3 p.m. PDT in the second round.
Trailing 3-2 after six innings, the Lums scored five runs in the top of the seventh. Johnson’s hit put Coeur d’Alene up 4-3, and he scored on Zach Sensel’s single. Sensel finished 2 for 4 with two RBIs, and Carter Friesz went 2 for 3 and scored twice.
Friesz pitched 6 2/3 innings, and allowed three earned runs. After Twin Falls scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to pull within one and loaded the bases, Capone brought in Dylan Brum, who got the next batter to bounce out to second to end the game.
“We had opportunities to score more than seven runs,” said Capone, whose squad left nine on base. “But what our guys did today was find a way to win. We didn’t have our ‘A’ game, but that’s what championship clubs do.”
STATE A AMERICAN LEGION
BASEBALL TOURNAMENT
at Rodeo Park, Nampa
Times PDT
Thursday
Idaho Falls Grizzlies d. Boise Barrons
Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen 7, Twin Falls Blackhawks 6
Pocatello Razorbacks 9, Owyhee (Nev.) Rivercats 6
Game 4 — Orofino Merchants vs. Nampa Braves, late
Friday
Game 5 — Boise Barons vs. Twin Falls Blackhawks, 9 a.m.
Game 6 — Owyhee Rivercats vs. Loser Game 4, noon
Game 7 — Idaho Falls Grizzlies vs. Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen, 3 p.m.
Game 8 — Pocatello Razorbacks vs. Winner Game 4, 6
Saturday
Game 9 — Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 9 a.m.
Game 10 — Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, noon
Game 11 — Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 9, 3 p.m.
Game 12 — Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 6
Sunday
Game 13 — Loser Game 12 vs. Winner Game 11, 9 a.m.
Game 14 — Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, noon (championship game)
Monday
Game 15 — Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14, 9 a.m. (if-necessary game)