LEGION BASEBALL: Lumbermen-Prairie game called off as COVID-19 spike forces schedule change
Northern Lakes wins two on the road
The Coeur d’Alene American Legion baseball program is still operating.
How that looks for the remainder of the 2020 season remains to be seen.
With Thursday’s announcement that the Coeur d’Alene School District had canceled sports activities in its facilities until July 6 because of a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in Kootenai County, the Lums are unable to use fields at Coeur d’Alene and Lake City High for the time being. As a result, Friday’s scheduled nine-inning class AA North Idaho League game between Prairie and Coeur d’Alene, slated for Coeur d’Alene High, was postponed. The Lums’ class A team was scheduled to play a pair of games Friday at Thorco Field, but those were also postponed as a precaution, also because of the spike in positive COVID tests locally.
Kootenai County saw its second-largest single-day jump in coronavirus cases when it increased by 17 to 169 on Thursday.
“We’re still in business,” Coeur d’Alene American Legion baseball president Mike Thompson said. “But how we’re proceeding is still being determined. There’s a lot of things, such as traveling as a team, that we’re still trying to determine right now.”
In addition, the Senior Wood Bat Classic July 3-5 and Junior Wood Bat Classic July 10-12 were also canceled. Some of the teams in each tourney were scheduled to play in pods at Thorco Field.
“Given the rise in COVID cases and the canceling of the July 4th parade, the board decided that in the best interest of the program and community to cancel the wood bat tournament,” Thompson said. “Although the school district email was unclear about outside groups, it seems likely the high school fields will be unavailable.”
Coeur d’Alene is scheduled to return to action with a doubleheader at Kalispell on Sunday, then play at Missoula on Monday. The Lums have a team bus that transports them to games on the road.
“We’ve been in contact with those teams as well,” Thompson said. “They’re in the same boat as we are and we’re trying to figure out the best way to proceed moving forward. Whether that’s having our players travel with their parents or limiting travel altogether, we’re looking into it.”
Last weekend, a six-team, four-day tournament in Missoula was shut down on the second day by the Missoula County Health Department. Northern Lakes, which draws players from Lakeland and Timberlake high schools, was one of the teams at the tourney.
No. Lakes 10-14
Camas Prairie 0-7
GRANGEVILLE — Jaret Taylor pitched a five-inning, one-hit shutout as the Northern Lakes Mountaineers beat Camas Prairie 10-0 in a class A North Idaho League game Friday.
In the second game, a nonleague game, Northern Lakes prevailed 14-7.
“I loved the fact we got out and started hitting early,” Northern Lakes coach Bryce Johnson said. “We had been starting sluggishly. It was nice getting the bats going early, especially after driving 3½ hours.”
Taylor struck out seven and walked four in the opener for Northern Lakes (8-1, 4-0 NIL). The lone hit allowed was a two-out single in the fourth.
Trevor Vandever, Sam Pemberton and Louis Powell hit RBI doubles for the Mountaineers. All three finished with two hits, as did Jack McDonald.
“Sam’s been killing the ball for us,” Johnson said of Pemberton, who had four hits on the day.
In the nonleaguer, Taylor went 3 for 3 with two doubles and three runs scored for Northern Lakes.
Tristan Clift drove in three runs, two on a second-inning single for the Mountaineers. Colton Aragon hit a two-run single in the first inning, and Tanner Vandever drove in three runs.
Northern Lakes is scheduled to play a pair at Orofino today, with the first game a league contest starting at 1 p.m.
FIRST GAME
N. Lakes 235 00 — 10 9 1
Camas Prairie 000 00 — 0 1 2
Game called after 5 innings due to 10-run rule.
Jaret Taylor and Colton Aragon; Tom Reynolds and Tori Ebert.
HITS: NL — McDonald 2, Powell 2, Clift, Pemberton 2, Tr. Vandever 2. CP — Ebert. 2B — Pemberton, Powell, Tr. Vandever.
SECOND GAME
N. Lakes 520 500 2 — 14 10 2
Camas Prairie 000 700 0 — 7 8 3
Alex Drake, Jacob Shaffner (3), Scott Pote (4), Tristan Clift (5), Colton Aragon (7) and Louis Powell; Dane Lindsley, Gannon Garmin (4) and Dalton Ross.
HITS: NL — Taylor 3, Aragon 2, Clift 2, Pemberton 2, Ta. Vandever. CP — Schoo, Garmin 2, Reynolds 2, Ebert 2, Lindsley. 2B — Taylor 2, Reynolds, Lindsley.