Loffer's launch

COEUR d’ALENE — A week ago, in a regular-season finale, Coeur d’Alene High convincingly stripped the Lake City softball team of an unblemished 5A Inland Empire League record.

The Timberwolves dispatched their crosstown rival on a more significant stage on Tuesday, though.

Haley Loffer’s two-run blast over the center-field fence in the second inning was the difference in the 5A Region 1 title game at Lake City High, vaulting the Timberwolves to a 3-2 win and a berth into next week’s state tournament in Coeur d’Alene.

Lake City (18-2) will face the District III runner-up Thursday to open the 5A tournament, which will be hosted by both Coeur d’Alene and Lake City.

If Coeur d’Alene (12-10) wants to join Lake City in the eight-team bracket, it will have to get past visiting Lewiston on Thursday in a loser-out game before facing the fifth-place team from District 3 in a play-in game Saturday at Fruitland or Payette.

Earlier Tuesday, Lake City handled Lewiston 8-2 and Coeur d’Alene bested Post Falls 7-3 to advance. Lewiston then eliminated Post Falls 7-3.

The winner-to-state contest wouldn’t be as lopsided.

Neither Lake City nor Coeur d’Alene yielded an error in a game which featured a combined 13 hits, Loffer’s being the biggest.

After seeing her team get handled 10-0 by Coeur d’Alene on May 2, Loffer had a little more incentive to beat her club’s rival for the fourth time this spring.

“That definitely gave us some more motivation since we did get 10-runned and were given our only league loss,” said Loffer, a junior. “We wanted to be really mentally strong today.”

Lake City High coach Jesse Lenz jokingly ribbed Loffer for swinging at a high pitch by Natalie Sell, one the shortstop sent packing.

“That two-run shot was huge. (Loffer) just got a pitch and she drove it,” Lenz said.” It was probably out of her strike zone.”

Loffer said she leaned on instinct.

“I didn’t really see anything,” she said. “It was high and it looked good.”

Behind a spotless defense, Sell had a nice outing in the circle for Coeur d’Alene, giving up just five hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking three.

Lake City hurler Ashley Kaufman also pitched a tough seven innings. She gave up seven hits, struck out three and didn’t walk a single batter.

An RBI single by Olivia Zufelt in the first gave the Timberwolves a quick a 1-0 edge, knocking in Loffer before her second-inning homer bumped it to 3-0.

Coeur d’Alene, the region’s second seed, wouldn’t die, though.

The Vikings’ Kaylin Donovan roped an RBI double in the third to prevent the shutout. Coeur d’Alene looked to rally in the sixth when Donovan doubled again before reaching third.

An infield groundout by Halle Kane allowed Donovan to score, but that was as close as Coeur d’Alene would get.

Kaufman pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to preserve the triumph.

Lake City stranded six runners in the win while Coeur d’Alene left five on base.

Coeur d’Alene High coach Darren Taylor thought the game was decided by a swing.

“They had one more two-out hit than we did, that home run by Loffer,” Taylor said. “That was the difference in the game. There’s not much difference between the two teams. A razor-thin difference. Whoever comes up with the clutch hit is probably going to prevail each time.”

Lenz, who has now led Lake City to state in each of his three seasons, liked his team’s well-rounded effort.

“I could not be more proud of my girls,” Lenz said. “Defensively, offensively we did enough to win against a great softball team.”

Coeur d’Alene 001 001 0 — 2 7 0

Lake City 120 000 0 — 3 5 0

Natalie Sell and Hailey Lyons. Ashley Kaufman and Olivia Zufelt.

HITS: Cd’A — Taylor 2, Smith 2, Donovan 2, Lyons. LC — Loffer, Zufelt, Cavanagh, Beamer, Kaufman. 2B — Donovan 2, Lyons, Zufelt. HR — Loffer.

Coeur d’Alene 7

Post Falls 3

COEUR d’ALENE — Kaylin Donovan’s two-run home run in the second inning sparked the Vikings in a 5A Region I tournament opener at Ramsey Park.

Hailey Lyons also homered for Coeur d’Alene, which gave up just three hits to the Trojans behind the arms of Sell and Amanda Curry.

Post Falls 000 201 0 — 3 3 4

Coeur d’Alene 022 111 x — 7 9 4

Brooke Bowers and Allison Morris. Natalie Sell, Amanda Curry (7) and Hailey Lyons.

HITS: PF — Goleeke, Gleaves, Horn. Cd’A — Taylor, Smith 2, Donovan, B. Comack 2, Kane 2, Lyons. 2B — Gleaves. 3B — B. Comack. HR — Lyons, Donovan.

Lake City 8

Lewiston 2

COEUR d’ALENE — Lake City opened the 5A Region I tournament Tuesday by handling the fourth-seeded Bengals

Reilly Williams homered for the homestanding Timberwolves.

Lake City pitcher Ashley Kaufman, who gave up just four hits in a complete game, also hit a double.

Lewiston 100 010 0 — 2 4 1

Lake City 301 202 x — 8 6 1

C. Rose and B. Carpenter. Ashley Kaufman and Olivia Zufelt.

HITS: Lew — Vaughns 2, Lawrence, Rose. LC — Loffer, Cavanagh, Williams, Kaufman, Allen. 2B — Vaughns, Kaufman. HR — Williams.

Lewiston 7

Post Falls 3

COEUR d’ALENE — Lewiston’s seven-run fourth inning doomed the Trojans, whose season came to and end after falling in a loser-out game of the 5A Region I softball tourament.

Bailey Gleaves homered for Post Falls (9-11 record), which swept the Bengals a week ago to close the regular seaon.

Lewiston 000 700 0 — 7 7 1

Post Falls 101 001 0 — 3 8 1

C.Rose and B.Carpenter. Brooke Bowers and Allison Morris.

HITS: Lew — Skinner 3, Lawrence, Carpenter, Burke, Brown. PF — Goleeke, Morris, Gleaves, Bowers, Melton, Demute, Bowen 2. 2B — Skinner, Burke, Melton, Bowen. HR — Carpenter, Gleaves.