STATE SOFTBALL: St. Maries reaches semifinal in 2A; Timberlake out
2A
OROFINO — Led by the pitching of junior Taci Watkins and the hitting of junior Stacie Mitchell, the St. Maries Lumberjacks won twice on Friday to advance to the semifinal game of the state 2A softball tournament at Orofino.
Third-seeded St. Maries beat No. 6 Declo 9-5 and beat No. 2 West Jefferson 6-2, as Watkins struck out 30 in two games, and Mitchell had six hits.
St. Maries (17-3) will play top-seeded Malad (23-1) in the semifinal game today at 10 a.m.
“We’re treading new ground here,” said St. Maries coach Todd Bitterman, who said in his 15 seasons as Lumberjacks coach, St. Maries has never before won its first two games at state. “It wasn’t like we did anything spectacular; it was just a hard-hat mentality.”
St. Maries 9, Declo 5: Mitchell had three doubles, including the go-ahead run-scoring two-bagger in the bottom of the fifth, as the Lumberjacks beat the Hornets in the first-round for the second year in a row.
“She was crazy,” Bitterman said of Mitchell. “She just made real good contact all day. The three doubles in the first game were just torched.”
Addyson Stewart had a two-run triple in the third for St. Maries.
Watkins struck out 13 vs. Declo.
Katelynn Koyle had an RBI double and a two-run homer for Declo. Brynn Silcock’s two-run single in the fifth for Declo tied it at 5.
St. Maries 6, West Jefferson 2: Watkins struck out 17 for the Lumberjacks, and scattered four hits. She pitched out of a jam when Bitterman ordered the Panthers’ top hitter walked, loading the bases.
“I told Taci, ‘I’m going to set you up for trouble, get me out of it,’” Bitterman said.
She did.
Mitchell hit a two-run double in the first inning for St. Maries.
In the sixth, Anna Sande hit an RBI single for the ’Jacks, and Stewart added a two-run single.
Stewart finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Mitchell was 3 for 4 for the second straight game.
ST. MARIES 9, DECLO 5
Declo 010 220 0 — 5 7 3
St. Maries 050 040 x — 9 8 2
Katelynn Koyle and unknown; Taci Watkins and Addyson Stewart.
HITS: Declo — Bott, Silcock, Nebeker, Koyle 3, Brase. SM — Stewart, Watkins, Mitchell 3, Sande, Spray, Elliott. 2B — Koyle 2, Elliott, Mitchell 3, Watkins. 3B — Stewart. HR — Koyle.
ST. MARIES 6, WEST JEFFERSON 2
St. Maries 201 003 0 — 6 9 2
W. Jefferson 100 001 0 — 2 4 5
Taci Watkins and Addyson Stewart; Jordyn Torgerson, Carmindy Johnson (6) and unknown.
HITS: SM — Stewart 3, Watkins 2, Mitchell 3, Sande. WJ — Mecham, Smith 2, Torgerson. 2B — Mitchell, Mecham. 3B — Mitchell.
3A
Timberlake
out in three
BUHL — The fifth-seeded Tigers lost to No. 4 Filer 7-2, walloped No. 8 Kellogg 18-1 and then were eliminated by No. 2 South Fremont 14-8 on the first day of the state 3A tourney at Buhl High.
No other information was available for Timberlake, which finished 22-6.
Kellogg lost 18-0 to top-seeded Homedale in the first round. The Wildcats, in their first trip to state since 2010, and only their second trip ever, finished 6-17.