PREP BASEBALL: Timberlake locks up top seed to districts in nightcap

BONNERS FERRY — The visiting Timberlake Tigers took advantage of 10 walks and six players being hit by pitches in a 9-4 win over Bonners Ferry the nightcap to split in Intermountain League play on Saturday, giving Timberlake the top seed to the 3A District 1 tournament for the first time since the 2019 season.

Bonners Ferry won the opener 1-0 as Trey Bateman struck out nine for the Badgers, who scored the lone run of the game on a balk with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Timberlake sophomore Caden Robinett struck out 14.

“It was a dandy of a game,” Bonners Ferry coach Tom Turpin said. “Trey had a good game on the mound and (Timberlake pitcher) Caden Robinett was just dealing today. Both of those guys pitched extremely well.”

“It was just clean baseball,” Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson said. “It was back and forth and Caden was efficient and mature beyond his age. To Bonners’ credit, Bateman was just as good and pitched a great game as well.”

Andrew Horn had two RBIs and Kenny Wells, Cooper Lenz and Wyatt Kitchin scored two runs each in the second game for Timberlake (13-6, 9-3 IML). Wells struck out seven in the win.

“Kenny just did a good job of keeping them off balance,” Johnson said. “Bonners Ferry can swing the bats, and he just did a good job of making them earn everything. We knew going into today we needed one to host the district tournament, and the boys flipped the script and got it done in the second game. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

“We just could not throw strikes in the second game,” Turpin said. “We just couldn’t find the strike zone. We put too many runners on base and they took advantage of it.”

Bonners Ferry (9-11, 6-4) faces Kellogg in an IML doubleheader on Tuesday at Morehouse Field in Osburn. In other IML action, Kellogg swept at Priest River 16-1 and 3-1 on Saturday.

Kellogg can wrap up the second seed to districts with a split, while the Badgers need to sweep to host the district opener between the schools on May 9. A loss by Kellogg to Bonners will give Timberlake the outright league title.

Timberlake hosts Lakeland on Friday in a single game.

FIRST GAME

Timberlake 000 000 0 — 0 3 1

Bonners Ferry 000 001 x — 1 3 0

Caden Robinett and Joseph Borges; Trey Bateman, Teigan Banning (7) and Teigan Banning, Trey Bateman (7).

HITS: TL — Wells, Horn, Armes. BF — B. Bateman 2, T. Bateman. 2B — none.

SECOND GAME

Timberlake 212 310 0 — 9 8 1

Bonners Ferry 010 021 0 — 4 7 1

Kenny Wells, Andrew Horn (7) and Joseph Borges; Teigan Banning, Elijah Dahl (3), David Hammons (5) and Trey Bateman.

HITS: TL — Wells, Horn 2, Robinett, Allaway, Borges, Armes, Kitchin. BF — B. Bateman, T. Bateman, Rice 2, Banning, Dahl, Schulte. 2B — Rice. 3B — Schulte.

Coeur d'Alene 9-7

Sandpoint 6-6

SANDPOINT — Evan Mallory grounded into a fielder’s choice with two out in the top of the seventh inning to score James Guyer with the go-ahead run for the visiting Vikings, who beat the Bulldogs 7-6 in the second game of a nonleague doubleheader at Memorial Field.

Coeur d’Alene, behind a seven-run second inning, won the opener 9-6. Bryce Stockton and Ryan Schneider had two RBIs each for the Vikings in the opener. Jack Zimmerman drove in three runs for Sandpoint in the first game.

“Both games were really tight,” Coeur d’Alene coach Erik Karns said. “Our goal going into today was to be better for next week, and we are. Any one of these teams — either 5A or 4A — in the league can beat anyone on any given day.”

The Bulldogs had won three straight coming in.

“In the first game, we just gave it away,” Sandpoint coach Chase Tigert said. “That second inning made us play catch-up the rest of the way.”

In the nightcap, Elliott Smart singled to score Mallory to give Coeur d’Alene a 7-5 lead. Sandpoint cut the deficit to 7-6 on a sacrifice fly, but got the final out on a ground out to third base.

Mallory, Smart and Cooper Erickson drove in two runs each in the second game for Coeur d’Alene.

Blake Sherrill had three RBIs in the second game for Sandpoint.

In the bottom of the seventh, Austin Dillon singled and Kohlton Wagoner got on base after a walk.

Drew Lehman popped up a sac fly that scored Dillon to make it a one-run ballgame.

During the next at-bat, Zeke Roop walked, putting runners on second and first, but the next batter grounded out to end the game.

“Overall, I’m pleased with how we played today,” Tigert said. “We got in a lot of good reps in high intensity situations.”

Coeur d’Alene (14-5) returns to 5A Inland Empire League play at Lake City in a doubleheader on Tuesday.

Sandpoint (5-11) visits Moscow for a 4A IEL twinbill on Tuesday.

FIRST GAME

Coeur d’Alene 070 101 0 — 9 11 0

Sandpoint 202 200 0 — 6 8 2

Bryce Stockton, Cooper Erickson (2), Aaron Gwaltney (4), Andrew Karns (4), Lucas Erickson (7) and Lucas Erickson, Richie Hackett (7); Austin Dillon, Jack Ringer (4) and Auggie Lehman.

HITS: Cd’A — Larson, Schneider 2, Smart 3, Stockton, Bridge 2, L. Erickson, Christ. Spt — Sherrill, Lehman, Butler, Zimmerman 2, MacDonald 2, Turner. 2B — Stockton. 3B — Larson, Zimmerman.

SECOND GAME

Coeur d’Alene 101 102 2 — 7 11 4

Sandpoint 002 102 1 — 6 8 4

Owen Benson, Jesse Brown (4), Lucas Erickson (5), Ryan Schneider (6) and Chase Saunders, Richie Hackett (6); Colin Roos, Auggie Lehman (3), Jack Zimmerman (3), Drew Lehman (5), Jack Ringer (5), Zeke Roop (6) and Kohlton Wagoner.

HITS: Cd’A — Larson, Mallory 2, Smart 3, C. Erickson 2, Bridge, Stockton, Hackett. Spt — Sherrill, A. Lehman, MacDonald, Dillon 2, Butler 2, A. Lehman. 2B — Smart, Stockton. 3B — Larson.

Kellogg 16-3

Priest River 1-1

PRIEST RIVER — Riply Luna hit a grand slam in the top of the fourth inning of the opener for the visiting Wildcats, who went on to sweep the Spartans in Intermountain League play.

Kolby Luna hit a two-run shot in the fifth inning of the opener for Kellogg (9-6, 7-3 IML), which moved into sole possession of second place in league, by one game over Bonners Ferry.

Priest River (2-16, 0-12), which has lost 12 straight games, committed 13 errors in the first game.

“I really scrutinized the errors,” Priest River coach Mark Schultz said. “I went through all the errors after the game with the kids. All we have to do is cut down on them.”

The Spartans managed to cut the errors down to three in its 3-1 loss during the nightcap.

“That part was good,” Schultz said. “They scored two runs in the sixth and we loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh with one out and only got one across.”

Everett Hannah gave up three runs on four hits and struck out two in the second game for Priest River.

Kellogg plays host to Bonners Ferry on Tuesday in an IML doubleheader that will settle the second and third seeds to the following week’s 3A District 1 tournament.

Priest River travels to St. Maries on Tuesday for its regular season finale.

FIRST GAME

Kellogg 401 83 — 16 9 3

Priest River 000 10 — 1 5 13

Game called after 5 innings due to 10-run rule.

Riply Luna and Luke Frohlich; Shayd Wong-Yuen, Kyle Patterson (4) and Tyson Troudt.

HITS: Kell — R. Luna 2, Meredith 2, Hoffman, Hoover, Whatcott, Silva, K, Luna. PR — Troudt 2, Hannah, Reynolds, Brooks. 2B — Hoffman, Reynolds. HR — R. Luna. K. Luna.

SECOND GAME

Kellogg 000 102 0 — 3 4 0

Priest River 000 000 1 — 1 6 3

Travis Eixenberger, Asher Goodner (6) and Austin Clapper; Everett Hannah, Colton Brooks (6) and Tyson Troudt.

HITS: Kel — Hoffman, Eixenberger, Frohlich, Whatcott. PR — Troudt, Wong-Yuen, Hannah 2, Patterson, Brooks.

St. Maries vs.

Grangeville, ppd.

The doubleheader, scheduled for Clearwater Valley High in Kooskia, was postponed due to rain.

The teams are scheduled to play at Central Idaho League doubleheader on Friday in St. Maries at 3 p.m.