STATE HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL: Rough day for North Idaho squads

5A

IDAHO FALLS — The sixth-seeded Vikings had a shorter-than-expected stay at the state 5A tournament, losing 4-1 to No. 3 Kuna and 11-6 to No. 7 Rigby, both at Thunder Ridge High.

Coeur d’Alene, in its second straight trip to state, finished 20-6. The Vikings went 1-2 at state last year.

In the first game, Coeur d’Alene led 1-0 until Talia Jenkins homered to lead off the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. In the bottom of the sixth, a single and an error with two allowed two runs to score and break the tie.

Senior Kristine Schmidt struck out eight, walked two and allowed three hits, and only one of the four runs she allowed were earned.

Coeur d’Alene opened the scoring in the third inning when Morgan Knutson doubled to lead off, and scored on a single by senior Delaney Gosch.

Against Rigby, Gosch went 3 for 4 with three doubles and three RBIs and a run scored in the second game for Coeur d’Alene. Sophomore Chloe Burke was 2 for 4 and scored twice for the Vikings.

Alix Bishop drove in four runs for Rigby, including a three-run homer in the top of the third that gave the Trojans a 4-2 lead.

KUNA 4, COEUR d’ALENE 1

Coeur d’Alene 001 000 0 — 1 6 2

Kuna 000 013 x — 4 3 1

Kristine Schmidt and Delaney Gosch; Ashlyn Crone and T. Jenkins.

HITS: Cd’A — Gosch 3, P. McLaughlin, Moehring, Knutson. Kuna — Ham, Field, Jenkins. 2B — Gosch, Knutson. HR — Jenkins.

RIGBY 11, COEUR d’ALENE 6

Rigby 103 042 1 — 11 13 3

Coeur d’Alene 201 003 0 — 6 12 4

Emma Cluff, Jaylee Nef (7) and Tazie Blake, Katelyn Kartchner (5); Kristine Schmidt and Abbie Linder.

HITS: Rig — E. Bishop, A. Bishop 2, Boone 2, Munk 3, Whetten, Blake, Fox, Jensen 2. Cd’A — Burke 2, Gosch 3, Linder, Schmidt, P. McLaughlin, Moehring 2, Knutson 2. 2B — Fox, Boone, Gosch 3. HR — A. Bishop.

3A

Timberlake

wins, then drops two

BLACKFOOT — The fourth-seeded Tigers started strong, blanking No. 5 South Fremont 2-0 in the first game Friday.

But Timberlake fell to top-seeded Kimberly 8-1, then was eliminated by a 9-3 loss to No. 2 Gooding later Friday.

“We came out great, probably played the best game of our season in that first game,” eighth-year Timberlake coach Casi Lupinacci said. “Then we started getting tired, started making errors, and couldn't pull ourselves out of it,”

Timberlake (16-9) finished in a tie for fifth for the second straight year, one victory away from a trophy. It was the Tigers’ 23rd consecutive state tourney appearance.

In the first game against South Fremont, Acacia Pecor struck out 14 and walked none in a two-hit shutout.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Marissa Needs led off with a double, and scored on a two-out single by Alycia Cameron. Allilah Dykes singled her to second, and Jesi Kitchin’s single scored her.

Against Kimberly, Timberlake trailed just 2-1 until the Bulldogs scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Tapanga Rojas went 2 for 3 for Timberlake, singling in Needs, who had doubled, in the second to tie the game at 1. Pecor struck out seven, walked none and allowed six hits in 5.1 innings.

Addison Clark hit a solo homer for Kimberly in the first. Emily Hanchey hit a two-run single for the Bulldogs in the sixth, an inning where Timberlake committed two errors and Lupinacci noted a few other “mental errors” in the inning.

“Acacia pitched awesome for the first 1 ½ games, but it’s hard to be a pitcher in 80-degree weather when the defense is giving them extra outs,” Lupinacci said.

Against Gooding, Pecor singled in a run in the first for Timberlake, Rojas doubled in a run in the fourth, and Ashley Grantham homered in the sixth. But four Tigers errors led to seven unearned runs by the Senators.

“Logan Walsh was awesome back there (at catcher); it’s not easy to catch in that heat,” Lupinacci said. “And Marissa Needs had a heckuva tournament, with her hitting and defense at center field.”

TIMBERLAKE 2, SOUTH FREMONT 0

South Fremont 000 000 0 — 0 2 1

Timberlake 000 020 x — 2 5 0

Haylie Angell and Hannah French; Acacia Pecor and Logan Walsh.

HITS: SF — LeCheminant, Yancey. TL — Dykes, Kitchin, Pecor, Needs, Cameron. 2B — Needs.

KIMBERLY 8, TIMBERLAKE 1

Timberlake 010 000 0 — 1 5 2

Kimberly 100 106 x — 8 7 2

Acacia Pecor, Casey Whaley (6) and Logan Walsh; Mallory Kelsey, Charlee Mayo (6) and Jenni Taylor.

HITS: TL — Pecor, Grantham, Needs, Rojas 2. Kim — Hanchey 2, A. Clark 2, M. Clark 2, Kelsey. 2B — Needs, M. Clark. HR — A. Clark.

GOODING 9, TIMBERLAKE 3

Timberlake 100 101 0 — 3 6 4

Gooding 206 100 x — 9 11 0

Casey Whaley, Acacia Pecor (3) and Logan Walsh; Maelynn Durham, Kathryn Sliman (6) and Morgan Durham.

HITS: TL — Dykes, Walsh, Pecor, Grantham, Needs, Rojas. Good — Crawford, Boyer, Morris 2, Morgan Durham 2, Maelynn Durham, Celaya 2, Sliman, Villanueva-Huber. 2B — Rojas. HR — Grantham.

2A

Second-seeded Lumberjacks bow out in two

CHUBBUCK — No. 2 St. Maries, bidding for its fourth trophy in as many appearances, instead went two and out, falling to No. 7 Declo 8-3 and 7-0 to No. 6 West Jefferson, both at Capell Park.

St. Maries, third at state last year, finished 18-6.

In its first game, St. Maries committed 12 errors, leading to six unearned runs in the loss to Declo.

Averie Baird was 2 for 2 and drove in two runs for the Lumberjacks. Senior Taci Watkins struck out 10 and walked two, and allowed nine hits.

Katelynn Koyle struck out eight and walked one for the Hornets.

West Jefferson then eliminated St. Maries for the second straight year. Jordyn Torgerson struck out 12 and pitched a two-hit shutout for the Panthers.

Watkins struck out nine and walked seven for the Lumberjacks. Only three of the runs allowed were earned, as St. Maries committed four errors. The Lumberjacks were blanked for the first time this season.

DECLO 8, ST. MARIES 3

Declo 000 503 0 — 8 9 2

St. Maries 000 012 0 — 3 6 12

Katelynn Koyle and Saige Wickel; Taci Watkins and Brenna Elliott.

HITS: Dec — Silcock, Mallory, J. Nebeker 2, S. Wickel 2, Erickson, Peterson 2. SM — Sande, Baird 2, Watkins, Brebner, Elliott. 2B — J. Nebeker.

WEST JEFFERSON 7, ST. MARIES 0

W. Jefferson 220 030 0 — 7 5 0

St. Maries 000 000 0 — 0 2 4

Jordyn Torgerson and Cheznee Smith; Taci Watkins and Brenna Elliott.

HITS: WJ — Johnson, Smith, Torgerson, Neville, Shaffer. SM — Watkins, Baird. 3B — Torgerson.