THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: If only rain was the biggest hurdle this spring

Of course, what’s happening these days with the coronavirus pandemic trumps a little bit of rain — OK, a LOT of rain — over the last four years.

Still, Lake City High softball coach Jesse Lenz couldn’t help but bemoan the fortunes of his team at state during that time.

Last year’s team featured seven seniors, including six starters, some of them four-year varsity players. That group, led by pitcher Ashley Kaufman, made it to state every year, and every year, rain impacted their tournament.

“That poor senior class that graduated had more weather problems and bad luck,” Lenz said.

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In 2016 in eastern Idaho, Lake City lost its opener, then won a loser-out game on Friday. But Saturday’s games were rained out, the losers bracket was canceled, and the four teams remaining in the winners bracket (Coeur d’Alene, and three teams from the Boise area) headed to Meridian to finish up on Sunday — two semifinals, a title game and a third-place game.

Lake City headed home, its tourney suddenly over.

Coeur d’Alene lost in the semis to Eagle, then beat Boise in the third-place game.

In 2017, Friday’s first day of games went off without a hitch, with Lake City going 2-0.

But Saturday’s entire slate of games was rained out, forcing a Sunday finish for the second straight year. Lake City lost to Eagle in the semifinal, won a loser-out game then fell to the Mustangs again in the title game.

As it would turn out, that was the closest thing to a “normal” tournament that Lake City group would play at state in their four trips.

In 2018 in Chubbuck, Lake City lost 8-7 in eight innings to Mountain View of Meridian, then beat Highland of Pocatello in a loser-out game. In their third game of the day, the Timberwolves trailed Rocky Mountain 5-1 and were coming to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning when rain and lightning halted play for the day.

The next day, Lake City was unable to chop into the Rocky lead in its final two at-bats, and saw its season end at 21-6 with a tie for fifth at state.

Last year, with the tourney at Post Falls High, was likely the most painful memory.

Lake City rolled into state with a 25-0 record.

Then it rained the first day of state. The start of Friday’s games was pushed back, as workers heroically tried to get the two fields ready.

Coeur d’Alene, at state for the first time since 2016, got its game in, beating Highland 13-6.

Lake City’s game with eight-time state champion Eagle, naturally, was stopped by rain in the bottom of the second inning and the score tied at 1.

That turned out to be it for the day.

Then it got even more bizarre on Saturday.

More rain fell.

It took nearly every available bag of Diamond Dry in a four-state area, as well as a farmer with a field burner, to make the fields playable. However, to get the tourney in on time, games were shortened to five innings (from seven), and the double-elimination tourney was now single-elimination.

Lake City did produce some drama when Kaufman’s two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh (since the game started before the rules changed, it was played as a seven-inning game) forced extra innings, and the T-Wolves went on to beat Eagle 4-3 in eight innings.

Moments later, Lake City took the field again, but gave up a solo homer in the top of the fifth and lost 1-0 to Mountain View, which went on to win the title.

No losers bracket for the T-Wolves to fight their way out of.

Season over, just like that.

Lenz chose his words carefully in a postgame interview. What he didn’t say spoke volumes.

TEN MONTHS later, he was asked if any headway had been made toward a different way to complete a state softball tourney affected by rain, rather than just shorten the games and axe the losers bracket.

“All I’ve heard is, they’re more receptive (to a different format),” Lenz said. “I’m really not a fan of the five-inning ballgame.”

This year, of course, teams would take five innings instead of no innings at state, which is increasingly likely.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.