PREP SOFTBALL: Coeur d'Alene scores a soggy league title

POST FALLS — It took three days, but the Coeur d’Alene Vikings finally got to celebrate on Saturday.

Coeur d’Alene beat Post Falls 8-4 in the first game of a 5A Inland Empire League softball doubleheader Saturday morning at Post Falls High, clinching the league title for the Vikings for the first time since 2016.

“We’re really excited; we’ve been working so hard since last year,” Coeur d’Alene coach Bobbi Darretta said. “The girls are excited, I’m excited, but we realize it’s not over yet.”

The scheduled doubleheader was rained out on Thursday. On Friday, it was suspended by rain in the bottom of the first inning of the first game, and resumed Saturday — with a short rain delay early in the game.

Coeur d’Alene (16-2, 9-2 5A IEL) needed just one win for the league title; Post Falls (15-6, 6-5) could have created a three-way tie for the title with the Vikings and Lewiston (17-6, 8-4) with a split.

Since the second game had no impact on seeding to regionals, and since the weather was still iffy, officials chose to cancel it.

Post Falls took a 4-2 lead in the second inning on a two-run double by Kailey Cramer, who finished 4 for 4 with two runs scored.

Coeur d’Alene took the lead with five runs in the top of the fifth. Alexis Blankenship doubled in Skylar Burke, who had singled, then scored the tying run on a double steal. Catherine Bakken singled in Delaney Gosch with the go-ahead run.

On Tuesday at 2 p.m., top seed Coeur d’Alene will play host to No. 4 Lake City (5-19, 0-12), and No. 3 Post Falls will face No. 2 Lewiston at Canfield Middle School in Coeur d'Alene.

The winners will play in the regional title game around 4 p.m. at CHS, and the losers will meet at Canfield in a loser-out game.

Coeur d’Alene 200 051 0 — 8 12 1

Post Falls 220 000 0 — 4 10 2

Kristine Schmidt and Delaney Gosch; Sophie Nungesser and Alyssa Krause.

HITS: Cd’A — S. Burke 3, Blankenship 2, Gosch, Bakken 2, McPhedran-Torres 2, Nordman, C. Burke. PF — Cramer 4, Krause, Moak, Nye, Richart, Davis, Berg. 2B — Bakken, Blankenship, Cramer 2, Davis.

Lakeland 12-9

Sandpoint 1-0

RATHDRUM — After a day of rain, thunder and lightning, it took a little-known Idaho High School Activities Association rule to help complete the Hawks’ sweep of the visiting Bulldogs in 4A Inland Empire League play.

Lakeland rolled to a 12-1 victory in five innings in the first game. In the second game, the Hawks led 7-0 in the bottom of the second when play was stopped for a lightning delay. After repeated lightning strikes (each one triggering a 30-minute delay), the teams and fans were ordered to shelter in the school.

Play resumed, and shortly after Payton Sterling’s second home run of the game increased Lakeland’s lead to 9-0 with one out in the bottom of the third inning, there was another lightning strike. A game can be ruled official if it goes on for 90 minutes, even if the required number of innings aren’t completed, provided both sides agree. Since the second game would have exceeded the time limit (with the delays), and both sides agreed to call it, Lakeland was awarded the victory.

“A fun, memorable, North Idaho softball game,” Lakeland coach Dwayne Curry said. “The girls on both sides played, no matter what; I was really pleased with the heart they showed today.”

“We played in rain, hail, and lightning today, it was miserable,” Sandpoint coach Elizabeth Hawkins-Williams said. “Our players worked through it, especially our pitchers.”

The wins kept Lakeland (11-11, 5-1 4A IEL) in first place in league. The Hawks are scheduled to play a doubleheader Monday at Moscow (8-12, 4-2) to complete league play. Lakeland needs one win to earn the top seed to regionals; Moscow would earn the top seed with a sweep. Sandpoint (2-19, 1-7) will be the third seed to the three-team regionals, the start of which has been pushed back to Thursday.

Sterling went 4 for 6 with eight RBIs on the day for Lakeland. She hit a three-run homer in the first inning of the nightcap, and a two-run shot in the third. Emma Avalos followed Sterling’s first homer with a dinger of her own.

Cienna Walls hit a two-run homer in the first game for the Hawks.

Kalila Tuinstra, Kiva Barlow and Peyton Cessna each had two hits on the day for Sandpoint, which will play the No. 2 seed on Thursday in its regional opener.

“They played a lot better than the last time we played Lakeland,” Hawkins-Williams said. “Despite the weather, our pitching staff continues to improve. That will put us in a better position each time we play.”

FIRST GAME

Sandpoint 001 00 — 1 5 4

Lakeland 246 0x — 12 13 1

Kivia Barlow and Ashlyn Darling; Haylee Smit and Payton Sterling.

HITS: Spt — Tuinstra 2, Barlow, Cessna, McCown. LL — See 3, Walls 2, Sterling 2, Smit 2, Dyer, Byrne, Hanna, Staudinger. 2B — Tuinstra, Byrne, Smit. HR — Walls.

SECOND GAME

Sandpoint 000 — 0 2 1

Lakeland 432 — 9 6 1

Game called in 3rd inning due to weather, time limit.

Cresanna Authier and Elizabeth Dysart; Haylee Smit and Payton Sterling.

HITS: Spt — Barlow, Cessna. LL — Walls 2, Sterling 2, Avalos, Smit. 2B — Smit, Walls. HR — Avalos, Sterling 2.