LEGION BASEBALL: Lums catch a berth to state

LEWISTON — At first glance, it appeared that Coeur d’Alene was heading to a fourth game in the best-of-5 series with Lewis-Clark in the Class AA Area A (district) tournament at Harris Field on Saturday.

Then, a Bridge got in the way.

Coeur d’Alene leftfielder Kyle Bridge made a leaping catch on the warning track, then doubled a baserunner off second base to close out a 4-3 win, sweeping the series and earning a berth to the state tournament starting Thursday in Twin Falls.

“He had to run a long way,” Coeur d’Alene coach Darren Taylor said of Bridge’s catch. “He made an incredible play, and the runner didn’t think he caught it and we were able to walk it to second to get the final out.”

The Lums (26-8) open at state against the fifth-place team from Area C (Eastern Idaho). Lewis-Clark finishes 5-26.

“They’re a solid team,” said Taylor of Lewis-Clark, which lost 10-9 in the first game and 6-4 in the second game on Thursday at Thorco Field. “They hit the heck out of the ball and their pitcher (Carson Kolb), it was hard to find an answer for him. Those were some great games, and I’m happy to be on the winning end of all three.”

Coeur d’Alene had advanced to state five straight years before opting not to compete at state at Idaho Falls in 2020 due to travel restrictions within the program following COVID-19.

“It’s been our goal all year long,” said Taylor, the Lums' first-year coach. “We want to do what no other Lums team has done and win a state title. We’re going to try to go down and crash the Eastern Idaho party. They don’t know what’s headed their way.”

Troy Shepard struck out five in five innings and Zach Garza pitched the final two innings, allowing three hits.

“Troy was really going on fumes, but got us to the sixth inning,” Taylor said. “Zach came in and was great again on the mound when we needed him.”

Coeur d’Alene extended its advantage to 4-1 in the top of the sixth on a pair of passed balls, scoring Garza and Bridge.

Jack Johnson had three hits and a run scored for Lewis-Clark.

Coeur d’Alene 001 012 0 — 4 7 2

Lewis-Clark 000 102 0 — 3 8 3

Troy Shepard, Zach Garza (6) and James Guyer; Carson Kolb, Thomas Reynolds (6) and Nate Guinard. W — Shepard. L — C. Kolb. S — Garza.

HITS: Cd’A — Taylor, Zeller, Manzardo, Schneider, Larson, Erickson, Garza. L-C — Reynolds, C. Kolb, Johnson 3, Barajas, Feger. 2B — Zeller, Schneider, Erickson, Reynolds.

Northern Lakes falls to

Moscow in semifinals

RATHDRUM — Northern Lakes was limited to one hit, a single by Tanner Vandever with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, in a loss to the top-seeded Blue Devils in a semifinals game in the Class A Area A (district) tournament at Gorton Field.

Northern Lakes (19-15) drew 10 walks in the game, scoring in the bottom of the first on a fielder’s choice. The Mountaineers will face the North Idaho Lakers of Sandpoint today at 10 a.m. in a loser-out game. The Lakers eliminated the Lewis-Clark Cubs with a 7-1 victory.

Moscow (20-9) will face the winner of the 10 a.m. game today in the championship game at 1 p.m. The if-necessary game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Moscow 101 223 4 — 13 10 2

North. Lakes 100 000 0 — 1 1 4

Hayden Thompson, Mack Hagenbaugh (5) and CJ Anderson; Tristan Clift, Andrew Horn (5), Jacob Schaffner (6), Addison Balavage (7) and Caleb Knight. W — Thompson. L — Clift.

HITS: Mos — Redinger, Delusa 3, Thompson, Anderson, Hagenbaugh, Boyer, House, Stazkow. NL — Vandever. 3B — Hagcubaugh.

Cd’A Red 13

Gonzaga Prep 3

SPOKANE — Calvin Coppess had four hits and four RBIs and three runs scored for the Lums Red in a semifinal win over Gonzaga Prep Navy in the Washington Class AA district tournament at Jackson Field, clinching a berth to the state tournament starting July 26 at Gonzaga Prep.

Braeden Newby had three RBIs for Coeur d’Alene (25-10-2), which faces Mt. Spokane in the championship game today at 3 p.m.

Gonzaga Prep 021 00 — 3 5 4

Coeur d’Alene 040 45 — 13 8 1

Williams, Smith (3) and Hooper; Jesse Brown and Braeden Newby, Calvin Coppess (3). W — Brown. L — Williams.

HITS: GP — Croall, McKeirnan, Denker, Halaas-Driscoll, Hooper. Cd’A — Coppess 4, Brown, Newby, Brillhart, Bunch. 2B — McKeirnan, Coppess.

Cd’A Navy 6

Shadle Park 4

SPOKANE — Jake Dannenberg had three hits, including a tiebreaking two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Lums Navy beat the Shadle Park Shockers 6-4 in a loser-out game in the Washington Class AA district tournament at Jackson Field.

Cooper Reese had two hits and two RBIs for Coeur d’Alene (28-12), which faces University today at Jackson Field at 10 a.m.

Shadle Park 100 100 2 — 4 5 4

Coeur d’Alene 100 041 x — 6 10 2

Smith and Hernandez; Cooper Reese, Jake Dannenberg (7) and Cooper Smith. W — Reese. L — Smith. S — Dannenberg.

HITS: SP — Nelson 2, Kendall, Picard, Bell. Cd’A — Shepard, Dannenberg 3, Reese 2, Blanco, Weatherhead 3. 2B — Nelson, Reese.

LATE FRIDAY

G-Prep Navy 3

Cd’A Navy 2

SPOKANE — The host Gonzaga Prep Navy scored twice int he bottom of the seventh to edge the Coeur d'Alene Navy

Aidan Blanco singled and scored on a single by Nate Weatherhead in the second inning for Coeur d’Alene (27-12). Jayden Butler walked and scored on Cooper Smith’s single in the sixth to put the Lums ahead 2-1.

Cd’A Navy 010 001 0 — 2 8 3

G-Prep Navy 000 100 2 — 3 5 0

2 out when winning run scored.

AJ Currie, Jayden Butler (7) and Aidan Blanco; R. Halaas-Driscoll and C. Hooper.

HITS: Cd’A — Smith, Shepard 2, Dannenberg, Reese, Blanco, Weatherhead 2. GP — Burnett, McKeirnan 2, Halaas-Driscoll, De Leon.