Post Falls rallies, reaches title game

BASEBALL

After no one scored a run in the first five innings of either game, things got a little wild in the final innings Monday on the first day of the 5A Region 1 baseball tournament.

At Post Falls, the second-seeded Trojans rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat third-seeded Coeur d’Alene 3-2. This coming after Coeur d’Alene had taken the lead with two runs in the top of the seventh.

At Lake City, the host and top-seeded Timberwolves were upended 1-0 by the fourth-seeded Bengals, who made a sixth-inning run stand up.

Today, Post Falls (13-10) plays host to Lewiston (12-12) at 4 p.m. for the regional title and a berth to state next week in Boise. Also today at 4, Coeur d’Alene (13-10) travels to Lake City (17-5) in a loser-out game.

Post Falls 3, Coeur d’Alene 2: The Trojans’ seventh-inning rally started with two out.

Matt Fleming, the No. 8 hitter, walked, and Matt Vasquez singled to left. Nate Buer singled to right field to score Fleming and tie the game, and Vasquez advanced to third on the throw. Chase Cripps’ infield single scored Vasquez to win the game.

“It got away from us at the end. But it was a good baseball game, that’s for sure,” Coeur d’Alenen coach Nick Mahin said. “It hurts to lose it, especially when you’re one out away, one strike away, but in the end, you just tip your cap.”

Coeur d’Alene took advantage of a couple Post Falls errors in the top of the seventh, and Riley Alley’s single scored Caleb Beggerly to put the Vikings ahead 2-1.

Cripps, who finished 3 for 4, scored on a wild pitch in the sixth for the game’s first run.

Justin Bates struck out eight for Coeur d’Alene. Jake Pfennigs fanned five and allowed three hits for Post Falls.

Coeur d’Alene 000 000 2 — 2 3 0

Post Falls 000 001 2 — 3 8 2

2 out when winning run scored.

Justin Bates, Cody Davenport (7) and Carter Friesz; Jake Pfennigs and Nate Buer. W — Pfennigs (2-2). L — Bates.

HITS: Cd’A — Mayfield, Bunch, Alley. PF — Buer 2, Cripps 3, Rutherford, Zeller, Vasquez.

Lewiston 1, Lake City 0: The teams managed just five hits between them, four by Lewiston.

The Bengals scored the lone run in the sixth, when Ryder Shoults doubled with one out to score George Lopez, who led off with a double.

“Both kids threw well, it’s a tough one to come out on the short end of,” Lake City coach Paul Manzardo said. “We had a couple different opportunities with guys on third base and we couldn’t get a hit to either tie it or break it open.”

Kyle Van Boeyen pitched a one-hitter for Lewiston, the lone hit a one-out single by Kyle Manzardo in the first.

Van Boeyen struck out three and walked four. Lake City got a runner to third with one out in the seventh, but Van Boeyen retired the next two batters to end it.

“We struggled with him today,” Paul Manzardo said. “He got himself in a couple situations, but he pitched his way out of it.”

Kyle Manzardo allowed four hits and struck out five for Lake City.

“I was proud of how Kyle pitched,” Paul Manzardo said.

Lewiston was just 4-8 in 5A Inland Empire League play, but now has taken 3 of 5 games from league champion Lake City this season.

Lewiston 000 001 0 — 1 4 0

Lake City 000 000 0 — 0 1 0

Kyle Van Boeyen and Connor Stamper; Kyle Manzardo and Conner Conigliaro. W — Van Boeyen. L — Manzardo (3-2).

HITS: Lew — Shoults, Powell, Stottlemyer, Lopez. LC — Manzardo. 2B — Shoults, Stottlemyer, Lopez.

Lakeland wins twice, now just one win from state

SANDPOINT — A pair of strong pitching performances and crisp defense helped lead Lakeland to a pair of wins to open the 4A Region 1 baseball tournament on Monday at War Memorial Field, not only keeping their season alive, but stealing home field advantage for the next game.

In the loser-out opener, Max Baker spun a complete game five-hitter to lead the No. 3 seed Hawks to a 5-1 win over the No. 2 seed Bears (5-12), setting up the first game in a best-of-three series with the host No. 1 Bulldogs for the right to go to state.

Dylan Bradbury and Tristan Clift combined to hold the Bulldogs to six hits, winning a low-scoring 3-1 pitcher’s duel against Sandpoint sophomore Tyler Lehman. The win enables the Hawks (13-13) to host the Bulldogs (10-6) on Wednesday in game two of the series.

Lakeland coach Jason Bradbury didn’t hesitate when asked what led to the surprise wins.

“Our defense was the No. 1 key. They put a clean game together. We only had one error in the two games,” said Bradbury, whose team has been plagued by errors in the past. “We’ve got the sticks, but can’t keep giving up free 90s (feet). Everybody executed, I’m very proud of them.”

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when a flare from Alex Stockton scored Trey Flint, who had just laced a double to the gap. Lakeland wouldn’t score until the fifth inning, as Lehman was in command from the first pitch of the game.

Lehman only gave up one earned run in 6 2/3 innings of quality mound work.

Lakeland tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth inning when Logan Siegford stole second, and scored on an overthrow at third. The Bulldogs made four errors defensively, and made several more on the base paths that ultimately proved costly in a tight game. RBI singles from Garrett Moen and Max Baker in the top of the sixth led to a 3-1 Lakeland lead.

The Bulldogs loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh when Trey Flint ripped a single to right, before Alex Stockton flew out to center to end the game and some anxious late moments for Bradbury, praising the pitching in the nightcap.

“I was going crazy there with Trey up. I’ve got to hand it to my pitchers,” described Bradbury, looking ahead to Wednesday’s game two. “Build on these wins, keep the confidence defensively. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. Sandpoint’s a great team, we’ll have to earn everything we get.”

Game two of the series is Wednesday, with first pitch at 4 p.m. at Lakeland High School.

Lakeland 000 012 0 — 3 4 1

Sandpoint 100 000 0 — 1 6 4

Dylan Bradbury, Tristan Clift (5) and Colton Aragon; Tyler Lehman, Preston Pettit (7) and Hunter Donahoe. W — Clift. L — Lehman (2-3).

HITS: LL — Bradbury, Gifford, Taylor, Grigg. Spt — Lehman 2, Flint 2, Stockton, Cometto. 2B — Flint.

LAKELAND 5, MOSCOW 1

Lakeland 030 010 1 — 5 5 0

Moscow 000 100 0 — 1 5 1

Max Baker and Colton Aragon; P. Broeneke, C. Vis (7) and N/A. W — Baker. L — Broeneke

HITS: LL — Clift 2, Baker, Moen, Taylor. Mos — Gray, Thompson, Dunn 2, Broeneke. 2B — Broeneke. 3B — Moen.

St. Maries ends up

in play-in game

OROFINO — St. Maries beat Orofino 2-0 and lost to Grangeville 3-2 in what turned out to be the championship game of the 2A District 1-2 tournament.

Grangeville (14-4), which beat Orofino 12-2 earlier in the day, won the district title with the victory over St. Maries to advance to state next week at Nampa Christian High.

St. Maries (11-6) advances to a state play-in game Saturday vs. the third-place team from District 3.

In the first game, Ethan Hill pitched a three-hit shutout for St. Maries vs. Orofino (5-15). Kaden Hammond went 3 for 4, and singled in the first run in the fifth inning and scored the second run.

In the second game, Hill and Cade Truscott drove in runs for the Lumberjacks, but Grangeville’s three runs in the fifth were enough to get the Bulldogs to state.

Chase Adkison struck out 10 and scattered five hits for Grangeville.

ST. MARIES 2, OROFINO 0

St. Maries 000 020 0 — 2 9 1

Orofino 000 000 0 — 0 3 0

Ethan Hill, Kaden Hammond (5) and Cade Truscott; Cody Isbelle, Joe Sparano (6) and George Bolling. W — Hill. L — Isbelle.

HITS: SM — Larson 2, Hammond 3, Truscott, Villa 2, Hill. Oro — Barajas 2, Bolling. 2B — Hill.

GRANGEVILLE 3, ST. MARIES 2

St. Maries 000 100 1 — 2 5 2

Grangeville 000 030 x — 3 12 3

Derek Larson, Kaden Hammond (5) and Cade Truscott; Chase Adkison and Tyler Stephens. W — Adkison. L — Larson.

HITS: SM — Larson, Hammond, Truscott, Villa, Hill. Grange — Adkison 2, Stephens 3, Bonn 3, McEwen, Schoo 2, Key. 2B — Larson, Bonn. 3B — Adkison.

TENNIS

Post Falls 7

Coeur d’Alene 5

POST FALLS — The Trojans swept in boys singles to top the Vikings at Post Falls High.

“It turned out to be a great day for local tennis,” Post Falls coach Kirk Hartzell said. “I am really happy with our play. Both teams competed hard with four matches going to a third set tiebreaker. I am real proud of Carson Schertz and Igor Samardzic for coming back from down a set and playing with lots of emotion and timely hitting.”

Both teams will compete in the 5A Region 1 tournament starting Thursday at Post Falls High.

BOYS SINGLES — No. 1, Dani Alaverez, PF, d. Chris Swider, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. No. 2, Colton Melton, PF, d. Nez Ogle, 6-1, 6-4. No. 3, Noah Cobb, Cd’A, d. Josiah Shields, 6-2, 7-5.

BOYS DOUBLES — No. 1, Jason Benton/Matt McLeod, PF, d. Bracken Curtis/Adam Priebe, 6-2, 7-5. No. 2, Carson Schertz/Igor Samardzic, PF, d. Wyatt Gibber/Dylan Griff, 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 10-5.

GIRLS SINGLES — No. 1, Courtney Finney, PF, d. Sarah Swider, 6-4, 4-6, 10-7. No. 2, Maddi Whittemore, Cd’A, d. Sam Schumacher, 6-0, 6-1. No. 3, Sherry May Espina, PF, d. Rachel Jeske, 6-0, 7-6 (7-3).

GIRLS DOUBLES — No. 1, Christina Hellwig/Gabby Kauer, Cd’A, d. Kalsa Stowers/Maddie Sunell, 6-3, 6-2. No. 2, Amber Steenburgh/Madi Lahr, PF, d. Rachel Hoopman/Abby Markowski, 6-2, 6-1.

MIXED DOUBLES — No. 1, Bayley Thorm/Kim Gunnerson, Cd’A, d. Tyler Sterritt/Syreese Klineline, 6-2, 6-3. No. 2, Kobe DeLeonard/Maggie Bloom, Cd’A, d. Derrick Luby/Rekenna Williams, 6-4, 5-7, 10-3.