PREP BASEBALL: Post Falls earns split at Lewiston
LEWISTON — After an early setback when nothing went right, Post Falls coach Kurt Reese asked his team in his own way to fix things moving forward.
Then, the Trojans did.
The top five hitters in the Post Falls lineup accounted for nine of its 11 hits and all five runs scored in the nightcap of a 5-3 win over the Lewiston Bengals at Walker Field in an Inland Empire League doubleheader on Saturday.
“We definitely had to wake up after that first game,” Reese said. “The first game was really rough on us. We made a lot of self-inflicted errors that cost us that game. We just had to reset and forget it. I told them we needed to refocus and get the split, and I’m proud of how they responded after that.”
In the opener, Killian Fox struck out 10 for Lewiston in an 8-0 win.
Langan Naylor had three hits and three runs scored in the second game for Post Falls, which took the lead on RBI singles from Austin DeBoer and Cody Chamberlain to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Naylor extended the advantage, scoring on an RBI single by CD Sharples to take a 3-1 lead in the fifth. DeBoer had a two-run triple in the seventh to give Post Falls a 5-2 lead.
Sharples struck out six in the second game for Post Falls (5-3, 3-1 IEL), which travels to Coeur d’Alene for a doubleheader on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
“Austin and Langen had some really clutch hits, and I can’t say enough about how Sharples pitched,” Reese said. “He had good command and really did a good job of keeping them off balance. He was our emotional leader in that second game to rally the guys and give their best effort.”
Lewiston (10-2, 5-1) hosts Lake City next Saturday.
FIRST GAME
Post Falls 000 000 0 — 0 2 1
Lewiston 003 320 x — 8 7 0
Tyson Rutherford, Jayden Butler (4), Kason Gadley (6) and Jerad Taylor; Killian Fox and Jake Feger.
HITS: PF — DeBoer, Bustamante. Lew — Bensching 2, Ricard, Taylor, McCoy 2, Daniel. 2B — Taylor. 3B — Bensching.
SECOND GAME
Post Falls 002 001 2 — 5 11 0
Lewiston 000 011 1 — 3 7 0
CD Sharples and Jerad Taylor; Chris Ricard, Carson Kolb (5) and Wyatt Lopez.
HITS: PF — Naylor 3, Ziegler 2, DeBoer 2, Sharples, Chamberlain, Bustamante, Taylor. Lew — Fox 2, Edminson, Lopez, Massey 2. 2B — DeBoer, Ziegler, Fox. 3B — DeBoer.
Coeur d’Alene 19-6
Lakeland 2-2
RATHDRUM — Cooper Larson and Evan Mallory scored four runs each while Ryan Schneider drove in five runs in the first game of an Inland Empire League sweep of the Hawks at Gorton Field.
Coeur d’Alene drew 14 walks in the opener, compared to one for Lakeland.
In the nightcap, four Coeur d’Alene pitchers combined on a two-hitter, striking out eight.
“Our pitching staff did an outstanding job of getting ahead of hitters, focusing and competing well,” Coeur d’Alene coach Erik Karns said. “We threw eight guys on the day and each of them did a great job of being ready to pitch and ready to go. Our goal is to develop as many arms as we can to make a run at it.”
Coeur d’Alene (7-3, 2-2 IEL), which has won six straight, hosts Post Falls in a doubleheader on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Lakeland (1-7, 0-4) visits Moscow on Wednesday for a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
FIRST GAME
Coeur d’Alene 332 011 9 — 19 8 4
Lakeland 000 101 0 — 2 7 4
Ryan Schneider, Jesse Brown (3), Lucas Erickson (4), Andrew Karns (6) and Chase Saunders; Cameron Harris, Sean Tierney (3), Jacob Schaffner (7), Raiston Ellwood (7) and Sam Pemberton.
HITS: Cd’A — Mallory 2, Karns 2, Schneider 2, C. Erickson, Walker. LL — Wysong, Ellwood, Harris, Pemberton, Tierney, Dugger 2. 2B — Mallory, Schneider, Ellwood.
SECOND GAME
Coeur d’Alene 400 011 0 — 6 9 4
Lakeland 000 200 0 — 2 3 4
Bryce Stockton, Owen Benson (3), Cooper Erickson (5), Aaron Gwaltney (7) and Richie Hackett; Payden Wysong, Tim Sheppard (5) and Sam Pemberton.
HITS: Cd’A — Larson, Karns, Schneider, L. Erickson 2, Brown 2, Bridge, Christ. LL — Ellwood, Day, Tierney. 2B — Larson, Brown.
Lake City 14-18
Moscow 1-0
MOSCOW — Sophomore AJ Currie pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the opener, Camdyn Martindale pitched well in the nightcap, and the visiting Timberwolves swept the Bears in IEL play at the Moscow School District Community Playfields.
Currie struck out seven and walked none for Lake City (2-5, 2-2 IEL). The only baserunner for Moscow (5-6, 2-4) reached on a one-out error in the fifth.
“AJ threw a gem in the first game,” Lake City coach Paul Manzardo said. “AJ was just pounding the zone; all three pitches were working. Moscow is a pretty good hitting team, and AJ kept them in check.”
Eric Bumbaugh went 3 for 4 with a two-run homer in the fifth for the T-Wolves. Martindale drove in four runs, three on a second-inning double that made it 7-0.
In the second game, Martindale struck out six and scattered four hits. Joe DuCoeur drove in four runs, including a three-run homer in a 14-run second inning.
“The kids were dialed in, from the first inning to the last inning of the second game,” Manzardo said. “We really, really hit the ball well today. Everybody we put in the lineup had a good approach — used the whole field, minimized the strikeouts, ran the bases.”
Lake City travels to Sandpoint on Tuesday for an IEL doubleheader at Memorial Field.
FIRST GAME
Lake City 070 16 — 14 11 1
Moscow 000 00 — 0 0 1
Game called after 5 innings due to 10-run rule.
AJ Currie and Ethan Taylor; Mike Kiblen, Garrett Farrell (2), Jamison Green (5) and Tyson Izzo.
HITS: LC — Smith, Taylor, Martindale, Bumbaugh 3, DuCoeur, Carrol 2, Newby 2. Mos — none. 2B — Newby, Taylor, Martindale. HR — Bumbaugh.
SECOND GAME
Lake City 3(14)0 10 — 18 12 2
Moscow 001 00 — 1 4 4
Camdyn Martindale and Joe DuCoeur; Butch Kiblen, Cody Isakson (2) and Tyson Izzo.
HITS: LC — Smith, Newby, Martindale, Bumbaugh 2, DuCoeur 2, Garza 2, Carrol, Weatherhead 2. Mos — Isakson, McLaughlin, Decker, Green. 2B — Garza, Carrol, Newby, Bumbaugh. 3B — DuCoeur. HR — DuCoeur.
Orofino 6-6
St. Maries 3-1
OROFINO — The visiting Lumberjacks held the Maniacs to eight hits in two games, but managed just five hits themselves in dropping the Central Idaho League opener doubleheader for both teams.
Dylan Larson had two hits in the second game for St. Maries (1-6), and Wyatt Holmes singled in a run.
Orofino is 8-2-1.
St. Maries travels to Timberlake on Thursday.
FIRST GAME
St. Maries 010 020 0 — 3 1 5
Orofino 004 101 x — 6 3 4
Wyatt Holmes, Dylan Larson (5) and N/A; Drew Hanna and Silas Naranjo.
HITS: SM — Holder. Oro — Bradbury, Drobish, Hanna.
SECOND GAME
St. Maries 000 010 0 — 1 4 4
Orofino 330 000 x — 6 5 5
Trace Wicks and Dillon Holder; Louden Cochran and Kevin Turner.
HITS: SM — Wicks, Holmes, Larson 2. Oro — Naranjo, Howell 2, Barlow, Bradbury.