Northern Lakes has 12 hits, rolls past Coeur d’Alene ‘A’ Lumbermen

RATHDRUM — A few days off didn’t affect the Northern Lakes hitters, as the Mountaineers bashed out 12 hits, scored five in the first inning and rolled to a 9-1 victory over the visiting Coeur d’Alene “A” squad on Monday evening at Gorton Field.

“I was real happy with the way we hit the ball,” coach Bryce Johnson said. “We had a long weekend off — our last game was Thursday — so we put a giant emphasis on swinging the bat early in counts and putting the ball in play. That got us off to a good start.”

Trevor Vandever’s RBI single and a two-run single by Jacob Schaffner put the hosts ahead 5-0, and behind the pitching of Jack McDonald and Jaret Taylor, that was all the runs Northern Lakes (22-6) would need.

McDonald threw five shutout innings, allowing only three Lumberman hits and one walk while striking out three. Taylor closed out the game, with two strikouts in two innings.

“Jack’s really hitting his stride,” Johnson said of McDonald’s recent efforts on the mound. “He pitched really well tonight.”

Sam Pemberton had an RBI double among his two hits for the Mountaineers, who host the Spokane Crew at 4 p.m. Thursday in a doubleheader at Lakeland High School.

Cole Petit had two hits for Coeur d’Alene, and Aidan Laponsey knocked in the Lumbermen’s only run when he was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.

Coeur d’Alene 000 000 1 — 1 3 3

Northern Lakes 500 004 x — 9 12 1

Camdyn Martindale, Owen Benson (5) and Lucas Erickson; Jack McDonald, Jaret Taylor (6) and Colton Aragon. W — McDonald. L — Martindale.

HITS: Cd’A — Petit 2, A. Taylor; NL — McDonald 2, Pemberton 2, Ta. Vandever 2, Powell, J. Taylor, Aragon, Clift, Tr. Vandever, Schaffner. 2B — Pemberton.