Lakeland falls in deciding game
Photo by Jason Duchow Photography Lakeland senior Braden Gifford laces one of his two doubles to the gap against Sandpoint on Friday at War Memorial Field in Sandpoint.
SANDPOINT — A promising start to the week came to a disappointing end for Lakeland, but at least the Hawks went down swinging.
Lakeland won a pair of games on Monday to open the 4A Region 1 baseball tournament, including one over the host Sandpoint Bulldogs in Game 1 of the best-of-3 championship series to steal home-field advantage for Game 2.
But the Hawks lost at home to the Bulldogs on Wednesday, sending the series back to Sandpoint for Friday’s deciding Game 3.
In the winner-to-state, loser-out game, sophomore left-hander Tyler Lehman scattered five hits in five-plus innings as Sandpoint topped Lakeland 5-2 at War Memorial Field to claim the region’s lone berth to state, which begins Thursday at Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls.
Senior Braden Gifford hammered two deep shots into the gap for a pair of doubles in defeat for Lakeland, which finished 13-15. Max Baker, who shut down Moscow in the opener on Monday, went the distance for the Hawks in a solid start to end the season. Garrett Moen’s sacrifice fly in the seventh cut the lead to 5-2 to cap the scoring.
Lakeland head coach Jason Bradbury was suspended for Friday’s game after breaking an IHSAA rule by not entering the stats from Monday’s two district tourney games on MaxPreps prior to the start of Wednesday’s game. The rule helps coaches monitor opposing team pitch counts and player eligibility.
The interpretation of the IHSAA rule by the District 1 Board of Control of the IHSAA resulted in Lakeland forfeiting Wednesday’s 4-0 Sandpoint win, as well as the suspension of Bradbury for Friday’s championship game.
Interim manager Jeremy Way took over as third base coach, and was proud of the way the Hawks competed in the season-ender.
“We faced a lot of adversity, and we came out and fought hard,” said Way, noting the season series was 3-3 heading into Friday’s tilt. “I knew it would be tough. It didn’t go our way. Max pitched a great game, kept us right in it. We fought hard all day.”
Sandpoint (12-6) won its first 4A regional title since 2007, which was also the last year the Bulldogs qualified for state.
“I’m so proud of these kids. They put in the work. They believe in each other, this is their moment,” second-year coach Chase Tigert said.
Lehman took the loss in Game 1 of the series on Monday, despite allowing just one earned run in 6 2/3 innings, and for the second time in three games, he held Lakeland in check.
The Bulldogs struck first when Trey Flint drove in Jacob Cometto for a 1-0 lead in the first, before Cometto delivered a huge two-run double in the third for a 3-0 lead. Dylan Bradbury’s RBI single in the third for Lakeland closed the lead to 3-1. The Hawks loaded the bases twice in the third and fourth innings, but Lehman was able to pitch out of trouble.
Billy Brackett ripped a RBI triple to the gap, then scored on a throwing error to make it 5-1 in the fourth.
“I was extremely proud to hear how my team pulled together and played tonight,” Jason Bradbury said. “My assistant coaches said they did a great job just focusing on the game and being respectable young men all throughout. They competed well and were just a couple key hits short of changing the score around.”
Lakeland 001 000 1 — 2 8 1
Sandpoint 120 200 x — 5 10 2
Tyler Lehman, Preston Pettit (6) and Hunter Donahoe; Max Baker and Colton Aragon. W — Lehman (3-3). L — Baker.
HITS: LL — Clifton, Bradbury 2, Gifford 2, Aragon, Taylor, Grigg. Spt — Lehman 2, Cometto, Flint, Riley 2, Pettit 2, Brackett 2. 2B — Gifford 2, Lehman, Cometto. 3B — Brackett.