PREP BASEBALL: Post Falls hands Lake City first IEL loss
COEUR d’ALENE — Post Falls coach Kurt Reese was happy with the outcome.
In a way, so might Lake City coach Mike Criswell, though he wasn’t thrilled about it.
Post Falls scored two runs in the top of the sixth inning, then held on late to beat the first-place Timberwolves 3-2 in the first game of an Inland Empire League doubleheader Tuesday at Lake City. The loss was Lake City’s first in league play.
Lake City won the second game 6-3, clinching at least a tie for the league title.
“It could have been the best thing for us,” Criswell said of seeing his team's unbeaten streak in league come to an end. “I think even though we’ve been talking about it not being important, it just got too big for us. We were trying to do too much and didn’t run the bases well. Post Falls came ready to play.”
Caleb Jimerson pitched a scoreless seventh for Post Falls in the opener.
“We played pretty well in the first game and we’re fortunate to get the W,” Reese said. “Lake City’s a talented team and we’re happy to come back with a split."
Lake City (16-5, 15-1 IEL) travels to second-place Coeur d’Alene (11-9, 11-3) for a doubleheader next Tuesday. Post Falls (9-11, 7-8) hosts Moscow on Thursday in the continuation of a previously suspended game, then hosts Lewiston in a doubleheader next Tuesday.
Jake Bustamante doubled leading off the sixth inning and scored on an RBI single by Danny Davoren for the Trojans, who held off the Timberwolves in the first game. Lake City moved the tying run to second base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but was unable to push across the tying run.
In the nightcap, Lake City opened the scoring on a pair of bases-loaded walks in the first inning, then extended the advantage to 6-0 in the fourth, keyed by a two-run double by Owen Mangini.
“We were able to wait out their pitching and the guys were very patient at the plate,” Criswell said. “Our approaches were better, but we’ve still got some work to do.”
Thursday’s Post Falls-Moscow game is a continuation of the March 21 game that was halted in the middle of the second inning due to darkness, with Moscow leading 3-2.
FIRST GAME
Post Falls 000 012 0 — 3 7 2
Lake City 000 011 x — 2 6 1
Isaac Ziegler, Danny Davoren (5), Caleb Jimerson (7) and Gabe Cooley; Karl Schwarzer, Cooper Reese (6) and Joe DuCoeur.
HITS: PF — Naylor, Bustamante 2, George 2, Davoren, Jimerson. LC — Smith, DuCoeur 2, Stoddard, Usdrowski, Shepard. 2B — Bustamante, DuCoeur.
SECOND GAME
Post Falls 000 000 3 — 3 10 1
Lake City 200 400 x — 6 7 1
Lucas Smith, Jackson George (1), Kyler Cooley (4), Gabe Diamond (6) and Gabe Cooley, Isaac McKeown; Nate Brillhart, AJ Currie (3) and Cooper Smith.
HITS: PF — Naylor, Smith, Bustamante 2, Ziegler, Jimerson 3, Diamond. LC — Smith 2, Bumbaugh, Mangini 2, Reese, Shepard. 2B — Smith, Mangini. 3B — Ziegler.
Lewiston 6-16
Lakeland 3-4
LEWISTON — The visiting Hawks fell to 3-15, 2-10 in the Inland Empire League after being swept by the Bengals (11-9, 7-7) at Church Field.
Further information was not available.
Lakeland hosts Sandpoint in a doubleheader on Saturday.
Deer Park 6
Timberlake 5, 9 inn.
SPIRIT LAKE — The host Tigers put the tying and winning run on second and third base with one out, but were unable to push across either run in a nonleague loss at Timberlake High.
Senior Parker Holly had a two-run single to tie the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning. After a scoreless seventh and eighth inning, Deer Park broke the tie as Teagan Tobeck scored on a fielder's choice.
Holly, who had pitched just 8.2 innings coming into Tuesday, held the Stags (14-3) to one earned run in four innings of relief.
"Parker Holly pitched well for us," Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson said. "The only reason we were in that position was, he was able to throw them off. He brings a little change of pace, just had them off-balance. That team cam swing it, and he did a good job of missing barrels."
Timberlake (9-10) is scheduled to travel to Bonners Ferry for a single game on Monday.
Deer Park 101 200 101 — 6 11 1
Timberlake 100 004 000 — 5 11 2
Elijah Lee, RJ Gillaspy (4), Parker Hamilton (6), Trevor Shupe (7) and Braylon Dean; Grant Allaway, Parker Holly (5), Kenny Wells (9) and Caden Robinett.
HITS: DP — Lee 2, Shupe, Krepcik 2, T. Tobeck, P. Tobeck, Dean 3, Hall. TL — Wells 2, O’Connor 2, Allaway, Robinett, Holly, Armes 2, Gallimore, Huston. 2B — Dean, P. Tobeck, Arms, Robinett, Wells.
St. Maries 18
Genesee 4
ST. MARIES — Junior Trey Gibson had three hits, five RBIs and three runs scored for the Lumberjacks in a nonleague win over the Bulldogs at the St. Maries American Legion field.
Dillon Holder, Riley Abell and Kody Tefft had two RBIs each for St. Maries, which lost 2-1 at Potlatch late Monday.
Genesee was limited to one hit, a third-inning single by Joe Johnson as Lumberjack pitchers Dillon Holder (6) and Landen Holmes (4) combined to strike out 10.
St. Maries (4-10) faces Grangeville on Friday in a Central Idaho League doubleheader at Clearwater Park in Lewiston.
Genesee 001 03 — 4 1 6
St. Maries 675 0x — 18 17 3
Game called in the 5th inning due to 10-run rule.
Devin McGlothen and Joe Johnson; Dillon Holder, Landon Holmes (4) and Riley Abell.
HITS: Gen — Johnson. SM — Wicks 3, Anderson 3, Holder, Abell 2, Marsh, Ceja-Grimaldo, Holmes 2, Gibson 3, Tefft. 2B — Abell, Gibson, Holmes. 3B — Ceja-Grimaldo, Wicks.