PREP BASEBALL: Post Falls sweeps Coeur d'Alene in pair of one-run games
POST FALLS — Zach Clark drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to score Kaden Cripps with the winning run in the first game, and the Post Falls Trojans went on to sweep the Coeur d’Alene Vikings 7-6 and 8-7 in the season and Inland Empire League opener for both teams Saturday.
Post Falls scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the opener from Coeur d’Alene. Kaden Cripps hit a two-run double for the Trojans.
Tanner Sessions opened the inning with a single, and Spencer Zeller doubled hit to third. Cole Rutherford walked, Cripps followed with a two run double, and Rutherford scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.
"We always talk to the kids about being patient — it's the only game with no time clock," Post Falls coach Mick Zeller said. "Sessions, Spencer, Kaden, Cole ... everybody stepped up, which is good to see out of a really young team. I told them I have high expectations for this team … and they all came through. That says a lot about them, maturity-wise."
Andrew Karns went 3 for 4 with two RBIs in the opener for the Vikings.
In the second game, Aidan Winters scored in the bottom of the sixth on a single by CD Sharples for Post Falls to break a 7-all tie.
Sharples struck out six in 4 ⅔ innings, and also went 3 for 4 with an RBI and run scored for the Trojans. Cripps had a two-run double for Post Falls.
Caden Sampsel went 4 for 4 with an RBI for Coeur d’Alene.
"We didn’t pitch it well," Mick Zeller said. "We had 20 free passes 18 walks and two hit batters. I don’t know how you win a doubleheader that way. But we only had one error, and if you have told me we’d only commit one error in a doubleheader in March ... "
On Tuesday, Coeur d’Alene plays host to Lakeland, and Post Falls is home vs. Sandpoint.
FIRST GAME
Coeur d’Alene 300 011 1 — 6 5 0
Post Falls 000 120 4 — 7 7 0
1 out when winning run scored.
Alex Karns, Liam Paddack (5), Owen Benson (7) and Wade Mallory; Tyson Rutherford, Cole Rutherford (3), Kaden Cripps (6) and Zach Clark.
HITS: Cd’A — W. Mallory, Paddack, An. Karns 3. PF — Zeller 2, Cripps, Chase, Sharples 2, Sessions. 2B — Cripps, Zeller.
SECOND GAME
Coeur d’Alene 000 142 0 — 7 13 0
Post Falls 230 021 x — 8 13 0
Troy Shepard, John Gwaltney (2) and Wade Mallory; CD Sharples, Nick Chase (5), Ethan Miller (7) and Zach Clark.
HITS: Cd’A — An. Karns 2, E. Mallory, Al. Karns, W. Mallory 2, Elstad, Stockton, Sampsel 4, Larson. PF — Zeller 2, C. Rutherford, Winters, Chase, Cripps, Sharples 3, Clark, Miller, T. Rutherford 2.
Orofino 6-16
Timberlake 3-6
OROFINO — The visiting Tigers managed just seven hits — one in the opener — and were swept by the Maniacs in the nonleague season opener.
In the opener, Alex Drake had the only hit for Timberlake, a leadoff single in the third, and also scored two runs. Brayden Tutratt struck out nine and walked seven in 6 ⅔ innings for Orofino.
Wyatt Kitchin had two hits and drove in two runs in the second game for the Tigers, and Caleb Knight also drove in two runs.
Timberlake plays host to Sandpoint on Thursday.
FIRST GAME
Timberlake 200 000 1 — 3 1 1
Orofino 111 021 x — 6 7 1
Jacob Hessing, Wyatt Kitchin (5) and Caleb Knight; Brayden Tutratt, Joe Sparano (7) and J. Troyer, Silas Naranjo (5).
HITS: TL — Drake. Oro — Sparano 2, Larson, Drubish, Christopherson, Lilly, Schneider. 2B — Lilly. 3B — Sparano 2.
SECOND GAME
Timberlake 021 30 — 6 6 1
Orofino 077 02 — 16 13 2
Alex Drake, Andrew Horn (3), Luke Ahrnsbrak (3) and Caleb Knight; Rylan Larson, Steve Bradbury (4) and Julian Christopher.
HITS: TL, Horn, Knight, Hessing, Kitchin 2, Wells. Oro — Barlow 3, Tutratt 2, Larson 2, Drubish, Bradbury, Schneider 2, Naranjo 2. 2B — Horn, Hessing, Larson, Bradbury.
Bonners Ferry 18-13
St. Maries 13-9
ST. MARIES — Bo Bateman went 5 for 10 with six RBIs and five runs scored on the day as the visiting Badgers swept the Lumberjacks in the season opener for St. Maries.
In the first game, Bo Bateman went 3 for 6 with four RBI and four runs scored for Bonners Ferry. Trey Bateman had two hits and drove in three runs.
Gabe Thomas went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored for St. Maries.
In the second game, Bo Bateman was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored for Bonners. Porter Schulte was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs for the Badgers, and Blake Rice was 2 for 3 with two RBI and two runs.
Kade Crawford had a pair of hits, an RBI and a run scored for St. Maries, which returns to action March 23 at home vs. Timberlake.
FIRST GAME
Bonners Ferry 145 120 5 — 18 12 0
St. Maries 020 403 4 — 13 10 5
Teigan Banning, Elyah Dahl (4) and Bo Bateman; Wyatt Holmes, Gabe Thomas (3), Gavin Wemhoff (5), Ricky Nelson (5), Brock Anderson (7) and Kade Crawford.
HITS: BF — B. Bateman 3, T. Bateman 2, Banning 3, Hammons, Dahl, Schulte, Madden. SM — Crawford, Larson, Wicks 2, Thomas 2, McMaster 2, Wemhoff, Milikin. 2B — T. Bateman, Schulte, Thomas, Wemhoff. 3B — B. Bateman.
SECOND GAME
Bonners Ferry 901 201 — 13 9 3
St. Maries 310 104 — 9 10 3
Blake Rice, Trey Bateman (1), Porter Schulte (6) and Bo Bateman; Tanner McMaster, Shaun Hunter (1), Brock Anderson (1), Dylan Larson (4) and Dillon Holder.
HITS: BF — B. Bateman 2, T. Bateman, Rice 2, Schulte 3, Eby. SM — Wicks, Wemhoff, Larson, Crawford 2, Abel, Thomas, Marsh, Milikin, Nantell. 2B — B. Bateman, Rice, Milikin.