Post Falls falls short in 5A semifinal game

5A

BOISE — Another Post Falls comeback.

But this one fell short.

Too much ground to make up.

Trailing by four runs heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Trojans scored twice and had the bases loaded before Timberline of Boise recorded the final out at the plate and held off Post Falls 10-8 in a state 5A baseball semifinal Friday night at Borah High’s Wigle Field.

“We were so close,” Post Falls coach Mick Zeller said. “We just gave up too much too early.”

Post Falls (16-12), at state for the first time since 2006, plays 5A Inland Empire League foe Lewiston (14-13) in the third-place game today at 1 p.m. PDT at Capital High. Lewiston beat Post Falls 9-8 in the Region 1 championship game last week, after the Trojans took all four meetings from the Bengals in league play.

Timberline (18-10) plays Bonneville (24-5) of Idaho Falls for the state title tonight at 5 PDT at Borah. Bonneville defeated Lewiston 11-1 in six innings in the other semifinal.

Tanner McCliment-Call led off the seventh for Post Falls with his second double of the game. Brock Zeller singled and Jake Pfennigs walked to load the bases.

Jonah Hultberg came on in relief for Timberline and struck out Quin Bennett. Back-to-back RBI singles by Kaden Cripps and Matt Vasquez pulled the Trojans within two runs, and the bases remained loaded.

Leadoff batter Nate Buer flied out to left, and Pfennigs was held at third. Chase Cripps struck out, but the ball bounded a few feet away from the catcher, to his right. Hultberg covered home and the catcher tossed the ball to him for the force, ending the game.

Zeller bemoaned the physical errors as well as the mental ones. Post Falls committed two errors, walked six batters and hit one.

In one inning, a Timberline runner stole second, and came all the way around and scored when the throw skipped away from the man covering second, and bounded away from the outfielder backing up the play.

“I’ve never seen a guy score from first on a steal,” Zeller said. “We just created ways to give them runs tonight. Just gave ’em run after run after run. Four runs that we gave ’em. They got hits to score ’em, but they never should have been on base.”

The first 2 1/2 innings were a slugfest.

Alex McFarland-Smith’s two-run single in the top of the first for Timberline opened the scoring. McCliment-Call tied it with a two-run double in the bottom of the first, and scored on Pfennigs’ single.

Connor Riddle hit a two-run double as Timberline scored three times in the second for a 5-3 lead.

Jacob Rutherford countered with a two-run double in the bottom of the second, and scored when Pfennigs was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Timberline tied it at 6 in the top of the third.

Riddle’s double triggered a three-run sixth for the Wolves that put them ahead to stay.

“It’s a bummer, we’re so close to doing what we want to do,” Zeller said. “But we still have a shot at bringing home a trophy; that’s our next goal.”

Buer finished 2 for 4 and scored twice.

“We dug in and did what we’re supposed to do in bottom of seventh,” Zeller said. “The kids battled; you just can’t dig yourself a four-run deficit with three outs left.”

Timberline 231 003 1 — 10 11 1

Post Falls 330 000 2 — 8 9 2

Layton Wagner, John Duffy (4), Jonah Hultberg (7) and Tanner Hartnett; Jacob Rutherford, Austin Higgins (6) and Nate Buer. L — Duffy. L — Rutherford.

HITS: TL — Riddle 3, Randall, Vizgirdas, McFarland-Smith 2, Stefanic, Wagner, Duffy, Chambers. PF — Buer 2, Rutherford, McCliment-Call 2, Zeller, Pfennigs, K. Cripps, Vasquez. 2B — Chambers, McFarland-Smith, Riddle 2, Randall, McCliment-Call 2, Rutherford.

3A

Timberlake 9

South Fremont 8, 8 inn.

ONTARIO, Ore. — Timberlake coach Cameron Knigge called baseball the greatest game in the world because there’s no time clock.

If it had one, you could consider the conclusion of the Tigers loser-out game a buzzer beater.

Jack McDonald scored the game-winning run on a suicide squeeze after the ball got away from the catcher as the Tigers rallied past the Cougars of St. Anthony at Treasure Valley Community College.

“Jack’s a smart base runner,” said Knigge of McDonald, who set the school’s run scored record at 34 with the winning tally. “In that bottom of the eighth, he walked, stole second and took third without a throw. If he wouldn’t have done that, we probably don’t get that run across. He’s got a high IQ on the basepaths and really baseball savy.”

Timberlake trailed 5-0 before rallying with three in the bottom of the seventh innning.

“We dug ourselves a big hole,” Knigge said. “My assistant coaches (Rob McDonald and Tim Hall), they did a good job of keeping the boys energy up instead of getting down. We responded and fought back. I’m beyond excited. We did the same kind of thing last year. I told the kids after the game that this is the greatest game in the world because there’s no time clock. You determine when the game is over, and they did that today.”

Timberlake (15-8) faces Payette (23-4) in the consolation championship today at 9 a.m. PDT in Ontario.

Alonzo Gonzalez drove in four runs for South Fremont, which finishes 24-4.

South Fremont 001 043 00 — 8 11 6

Timberlake 000 041 31 — 9 11 3

2 outs when winning run scored.

Alonzo Gonzalez, Reece Yancey (5) and Carson Crapo; Logan McDonald, Seth Villanpando (6) and Louis Powell. W — Villanpando. L — Yancey.

HITS: SF — Ky. Yancey, Maupin, R. Yancey, A. Gonzalez 4, Hansen, Ka. Yancey, Crapo, Thueson. TL — Powell, J. McDonald, Villanpando, Smith 2, L. McDonald, Harris, Larsen, Privitt 3. 2B — Maupin, R. Yancey, Gonzalez 2, Ka. Yancey, Smith.

Bonners Ferry 19

Kimberly 12

ONTARIO, Ore. — The Badgers scored eight runs before an out was recorded in the first inning, then scored another eight in the seventh inning to power past the Bulldogs in a state 3A semifinal game at Treasure Valley Community College.

Chris Sabin went 2 for 5 with a three-run home run in the first inning and Shayne Walker hit a two-run triple in the seventh for Bonners Ferry (17-5), which advances to the title game for the second straight season.

“We just lit it up in the first inning and then they put up three quick ones,” Bonners Ferry coach Tom Turpin said. “They just banging away and we let them tie it in the fifth, and just started hitting the ball in the seventh. We just found another way to win. It was just a mentally challenging game for a lot of people.”

Bonners Ferry faces Homedale (23-4) in today’s title game at 3 p.m. PDT.

Bonners Ferry 900 200 8 — 19 19 2

Kimberly 300 350 1 — 12 14 3

Evy, Sabin (5), Walker (7) and Brady Bateman; Hafer, O’Donnell (5), Stover (7) and Bybee. W — Sabin. L — O’Donnell.

HITS: BF — B. Bateman 2, S. Bateman 4, Walker 2, Sabin 2, Fess 2, Edy 3, T. Bateman 2, Skeen, Parr. Kim — Satterfield, Phillips, Stover 2, Bailey 3, Hammond 3, Christian, Olsen, Hafer. 2B — S. Bateman, Sabin, Olsen, Bailey. 3B — Phillips, Walker. HR — Sabin, Bailey.