LEGION BASEBALL: Shepard pitches Lums to title at Whitefish tourney
WHITEFISH, Mont. — Troy Shepard befuddled the host Glacier Twins for the second time in four days, this time in a complete-game 3-1 victory for the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen in the championship game of the Sapa-Johnsrud Memorial Tournament on Sunday night at Memorial Field.
Shepard, a left-hander who will play at Community Colleges of Spokane next year, struck out eight, walked one and allowed three hits in the title game for Coeur d’Alene (23-8). The one run he allowed was unearned.
“This was a masterpiece,” Coeur d’Alene coach Darren Taylor said. “That’s a good team. They just pounded some good pitchers, and he shut ‘em down … just a gritty performance.”
On Thursday against Glacier, Shepard struck out six in 2 2/3 innings of relief, walking one and allowing two hits and one run.
“I learned they are very good at hitting if you leave it up,” Shepard said. “I had to keep the ball down, and mix up my pitches.”
In the top of the sixth, with the score tied at 1, Marcus Manzardo led off with a single for the Lums, stole second, advanced to third on an error, and scored the go-ahead run on a two-out single by Joe DuCoeur.
In the seventh, Austin Taylor singled with two out, and scored an insurance run on Jackson Scherr’s single.
Earlier Sunday, Cooper Erickson struck out six and took a one-hit shutout into the seventh inning as Coeur d’Alene beat the Spokane Cannons 18U 9-2 in the semifinals.
“Cooper Erickson threw a heckuva game,” Taylor said.
Scherr hit a two-run homer to kick-start a five-run fourth inning for the Lums, and Liam Paddack hit a three-run double in a four-run seventh.
Marcus Manzardo went 2 for 4 with two doubles and scored twice.
The Lums return to action Thursday in the class AA Area A (district) tournament. Because there’s only two teams in the AA North Idaho League, this year’s “tournament” consists of a best-of-5 series with the Lewis-Clark Twins.
Games 1 and 2 are Thursday at 5 and 7 p.m. at Thorco Field.
Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) are Saturday at 5 and 7 p.m. at Harris Field in Lewiston.
Game 5, if necessary, is Sunday at 5 p.m. at Thorco Field.
The winner earns the district’s lone berth to state in Twin Falls starting July 22.
LUMS 3, GLACIER 1
Lums 000 101 1 — 3 6 1
Glacier 000 100 0 — 1 3 1
Troy Shepard and Joe DuCoeur; M. Glass, H. Meehan (5) and D. Dunn.
HITS: Cd’A — A. Taylor, Manzardo, Scherr 2, Schneider, DuCoeur. Gla — Andrachick 2, Veneman.
LUMS 9, CANNONS 18U 2
Lums 000 500 4 — 9 10 2
Cannons 000 000 2 — 2 2 2
Cooper Erickson and Jackson Scherr; Cannons battery unavailable.
HITS: Cd’A — A. Taylor 2, Manzardo 2, Scherr, Schneider, Larson 2, Paddack, Zeller. Can — N/A. 2B — Paddack, Manzardo 2. 3B — Zeller. HR — Scherr.
Northern Lakes 12
Missoula 4
MISSOULA, Mont. — Sam Pemberton went 2 for 3 with an RBI triple in the first inning and a run-scoring double in the third as the Mountaineers beat the Mavericks in the third-place game at the Missoula Mavericks tournament.
Jacob Hessing went 2 for 4 and drove in three runs for Northern Lakes (17-13), and Andrew Horn was 3 for 4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
Louis Powell pitched three scoreless innings of relief for the Mountaineers.
Northern Lakes coach Bryce Johnson said the key was “keeping our bats going every inning, finding a way to get on the board every inning. That’s two games in a row we stayed with it, and didn’t take our foot off the gas.”
Northern Lakes plays host to Moscow on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at Gorton Field in Rathdrum, then hosts Camas Prairie on Wednesday in a noon doubleheader to wrap up the regular season.
Northern Lakes will host the class A Area A (district) tournament at Gorton Field, starting Friday.
N. Lakes 122 07 — 12 12 1
Missoula 013 00 — 4 7 2
Game called after 5 innings due to tourney’s 8-run rule.
Jacob Schaffner, Louis Powell (3) and Caleb Knight; Missoula battery unavailable.
HITS: NL — Powell, Clift 2, Pemberton 2, Hessing 2, Horn 3, Schaffner, Knight. Mis — N/A. 2B — Horn, Pemberton. 3B — Pemberton.