It was Gallus' day

RATHDRUM — You can’t walk everybody.

With more and more teams choosing to intentionally walk Lakeland cleanup batter Taylor Woolley, Hawks softball coach Colleen Bevacqua recently opted to put junior Erika Gallus ahead of Woolley in the lineup, in the No. 3 spot.

On Saturday, with a berth to state on the line, the Sandpoint Bulldogs walked Woolley twice — once with runners on first and second.

But, batting ahead of her, Gallus bashed two homers — including a three-run no-doubter to left to end the game — and drove in seven runs as the Hawks beat the Bulldogs 15-5 to win the 4A Region 1 tournament and advance to state for the first time since 2015, beginning Friday in Coeur d’Alene.

“I don’t know, I was just feeling good, and it just happened,” said a beaming Gallus, clutching the game-ending home run ball that someone had retrieved for her. “I get more opportunities now (hitting ahead of Woolley), and I can make more things happen.”

It was the first two home runs of her career for Gallus, who didn’t start playing softball until her freshman year — encouraged to turn out by her friend, senior shortstop Destry Brack, who is also her teammate on the Lakeland girls soccer team.

“I’m so excited for Erika Gallus,” Lakeland coach Colleen Bevacqua said. “She’s been close; she has one of the highest batting averages on our team. She’s been my solid. We talked the other day ... ‘Erika, you’re due.’ She definitely knows when to turn it on; she’s a gamer.”

Lakeland (10-15) will open state vs. Pocatello (16-10-1) on Friday at 11 a.m. at Ramsey Park. 4A tourney games are scheduled for Coeur d’Alene High as well as Ramsey. It was Lakeland’s seventh regional title in 12 years.

“I am so proud of these girls,” Bevacqua said. “Every one of them has worked so hard through the winter, lifting weights, hitting, fielding. It started out rough this season (the Hawks lost their first nine games), but we really pulled it together.”

Sandpoint, which finished 5-16, had won the last three regional titles.

“We knew they were going to hit; they are a hard-hitting team,” fifth-year Sandpoint coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams said. “So we went in trying to put our best defense on the field.”

Lakeland took three of four games from Sandpoint during 4A Inland Empire League play, then beat the Bulldogs 19-9 on Tuesday to advance to the championship game, needing just one win to get to state. Sandpoint eliminated Moscow on Thursday, and needed to beat Lakeland twice on Saturday to go to state.

Lakeland jumped on Sandpoint early on Saturday. The righty-hitting Gallus whacked a two-run homer to right field in the first inning, and Woolley hit the next pitch over the fence in center to make it 3-0. It was her ninth homer of the season, tying the school record. Woolley was walked intentionally her next two times up. She also struck out seven and walked none in earning the win in the circle.

“She’s the best player in the league,” Hawkins-Williams said. “She can really hit the ball, so our best strategy of defense against her is using the intentional walk.”

In the third, Gallus hit an RBI single, Alaina Pruitt added an RBI groundout, and Mia O’Hara grounded a two-run single through the hole to left to make it 7-0 Lakeland.

Natalie Petit put Sandpoint on the board with a two-run homer in the fourth, but Lakeland came back with five runs in the bottom of the inning.

Gallus started it with an RBI single to center field. Woolley was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Haylee Smit cleared the bases with a sharp single up the middle that rolled almost to the fence in right center, Woolley speeding all the way home from first for the third run.

Hailey Gosch made it 12-2 with an RBI double.

In the top of the fifth, Lakeland was one out away from ending the game on the 10-run rule. But an error kept the door open, and Tanis Davis smacked a two-run homer to left for Sandpoint, tying the school record with her fourth homer of the season. Brooklen Steiger’s RBI single pulled Sandpoint within 12-5.

“This team has shown great resiliency all year, and this game was a great example of that,” Hawkins-Williams said, “being down by 10 runs, and fighting back, scoring runs to stay in the game.”

Lakeland then made quick work of ending it a second time. With out out, See was hit by a pitch, Brack walked and Gallus finished the job.

“She had a great day today, for sure,” Hawkins-Williams said of Gallus. “Today was her day.”

Sandpoint 000 23 — 5 5 1

Lakeland 304 53 — 15 11 4

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

Jaycie Irish, Madi Garman (4) and Ember Dewey; Taylor Woolley and Mia O’Hara. W — Woolley. L — Irish.

HITS: Spt — Davis, Petit 2, Steiger, Ward. LL — See 2, Brack, Gallus 4, Woolley, Smit, Gosch, O’Hara. 2B — Gosch. 3B — Ward. HR — Davis, Petit, Gallus 2, Woolley.