Vikings take the fifth, sweep Post Falls in 5A IEL openers

COEUR d’ALENE — The fifth inning was good to the Coeur d’Alene Vikings on Saturday.

Coeur d’Alene scored five runs in the fifth inning of the first game to rally past visiting Post Falls 7-5 in the first game of a 5A Inland Empire League-opeing doubleheader at Ted Page Field.

The Vikings then scored four runs in the fifth inning off Oregon State signee Jake Pfennigs in the second game, and three more in the sixth to break a 7-all tie, en route to a 10-7 victory and the sweep.

“We were having good at bats the whole game against Jake,” Coeur d’Alene coach Nick Mahin said. “Our game plan was to have quality at bats and get his pitch count up. Our whole philosophy is united we grind, and they really bought in, and the game rewarded them.”

In the opener, Coeur d’Alene trailed 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Carter Friesz led off with a double and scored on Jayce Bailey’s two-run homer. Levi Haen singled, and scored on a single by Quinton Bunch to pull the Vikings within one run. Jack Bloom singled, and Noah Mayfield’s two-run single scored Bunch and Bloom and put Cd’A ahead to stay.

Bailey hit a solo homer in the sixth.

In the second game, Haen’s RBI single in the sixth broke a 7-all tie.

Caleb Beggerly’s two-run homer capped a four-run fifth as the Vikings broke a 3-all tie.

But Quin Bennett of Post Falls answered with a grand slam in the sixth to tie the game at 7.

“Even when Quin hit that grand slam, we knew we were going to come back, and we did,” Mahin said.

Brady Thompson drove in three runs, two on a third-inning double.

On Tuesday, Post Falls plays host to Lake City, and Coeur d’Alene is home against Lewiston, both in 5A IEL doubleheaders.

FIRST GAME

Post Falls 300 020 0 — 5 6 2

Coeur d’Alene 010 051 x — 7 11 1

Jake Pfennigs, Austin Higgins (5) and Nate Buer; Cody Davenport, Colt Rowley (4), Justin Bates (6) and Carter Friesz. W — Rowley. L — Pfennigs. S — Bates.

HITS: PF — Cripps, Rutherford, McCliment-Call, Zeller, Fleming, Vasquez. Cd’A — Mayfield 2, Friesz, Bailey 2, Haen, Bunch 3, Bloom 2. 2B — McCliment-Call, Friesz. HR — Bailey 2.

SECOND GAME

Post Falls 002 104 0 — 7 9 2

Coeur d’Alene 102 043 x — 10 7 1

Quin Bennett, Chase Cripps (6) and Nate Buer; Zach Mackimmie, Justin Bates (5) and Carter Friesz. W — Bates. L — Cripps.

HITS: PF — Buer 2, Cripps, Rutherford 2, Bennett, McCliment-Call, Vasquez, Fleming. Cd’A — Haen, Bunch, Thompson 2, Bloom, Beggerly, Johnson. 2B — Cripps, Rutherford 2, Fleming, Thompson. HR — Bennett, Beggerly.

Lake City 8-1

Lewiston 3-5

LEWISTON — The visiting Timberwolves jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the third inning en route to winning the first game, before suffering their first loss of the season and settling for a split with the Bengals in the 5A IEL opener for both teams at Church Field.

Kyle Manzardo doubled home Bennett Cunningham, then scored on a wild pitch for a quick 2-0 Lake City lead in the first. Kodie Kolden hit a two-run single in the second inning, and scored on a single by Manzardo to make it 5-0.

In the second game, Dalton Hart struck out seven and scattered five hits for Lewiston, two by Cunningham, the leadoff hitter. Kolden doubled and scored the Timberwolves’ lone run in the first.

“In the first game, we played really well,” Lake City coach Paul Manzardo said. “The second game, the Lewiston pitcher really kept us off balance and we couldn’t string together enough hits to get going.”

Chris Powell went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs for Lewiston, two on a first-inning single.

Lake City travels to Post Falls on Tuesday for a 5A IEL doubleheader.

FIRST GAME

Lake City 232 100 0 — 8 9 1

Lewiston 002 010 0 — 3 7 0

Brandon Gay, Zach Sensel (6) and Brock Sween; Garrett Beckman, Mitch Miller (4) and Braden Ruddell. W — Gay (3-0). L — Beckman.

HITS: LC — Cunningham, Kolden 2, Manzardo 2, Sensel, Gay, Kaufman, Sween. Lew — Wallace 2, Lopez, Powell 2, Bonfield. 2B — Kolden, Manzardo.

SECOND GAME

Lake City 100 000 0 — 1 5 1

Lewiston 300 020 x — 5 8 2

Kodie Kolden, Brock Sween (6) and Conner Conigliaro; Dalton Hart and Connor Stamper. W — Hart. L — Kolden (2-1).

HITS: LC — Cunningham 2, Kolden, Manzardo, Gay. Lew — Wallace, Lopez, Shoults 2, Powell 2, Van Boeyen 2. 2B — Kolden.

Bonners Ferry 12-11

Priest River 0-0

BONNERS FERRY — Mason Eby pitched a one-hitter in the opener and Brady Bateman scattered two hits in the nightcap as the Badgers swept the Spartans in the Intermountain League opener for both teams.

Eby struck out five, walked none, and allowed just an infield single in the fourth inning in the opener for Bonners Ferry (6-3, 2-0 IML). Bateman fanned nine and walked two in the second game.

Chris Sabin had two hits, including a three-run double in the fourth inning in the first game, and scored twice for the Badgers. He also drove in a pair of runs in the second game. Bateman hit a three-run double in the fourth inning of the second game.

“Pitching and defense were good today,” Bonners coach Tom Turpin said. “Hitting was a little suspect, but we’ve only gotten nine games in (because of the weather).”

Bonners Ferry plays host to Kellogg on Tuesday.

FIRST GAME

Priest River 000 00 — 0 1 3

Bonners Ferry 611 4x — 12 8 1

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Justin Allbee and Cameron Reeves; Mason Eby and Brady Bateman. W — Eby (3-0). L — Allbee.

HITS: PR — Thompson. BF — Brady Bateman, Walker, Sabin 2, Eby, Parr, Ryan, Stone. 2B — Sabin.

SECOND GAME

Priest River 000 00 — 0 2 2

Bonners Ferry 104 6x — 11 6 1

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Jantzen Lucas, Caden Beennan (4) and Cameron Reeves; Brady Bateman and Shayne Walker. W — Bateman (1-0). L — Lucas.

HITS: PR — Beennan, Lucas. BF — Brady Bateman 2, Seth Bateman, Walker, Sabin, Ty Bateman. 2B — B. Bateman, Sabin.

Kellogg at

Timberlake, ppd.

SPIRIT LAKE — The Intermountain League-opening doubleheader was postponed due to rain. No makeup date was announced.