PREP SOFTBALL: Lake City sweeps Lakeland, pulls even with Coeur d’Alene, Lewiston for IEL lead

With one week to play in the regular season, we’re back to a three-way tie for first place in Inland Empire League softball. 

Lake City swept Lakeland 12-6 and 15-7 on Saturday, improving to 11-3 in league. Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston split in Lewiston, leaving both 11-3 in the IEL.

Coeur d’Alene (13-5 overall) plays a doubleheader at Lake City (13-5) on Tuesday, then hosts Post Falls (5-12, 4-10) on Thursday in a twinbill.

Lake City is home vs. Lewiston (11-7 overall) on Thursday in a doubleheader. 

Lewiston plays host to Post Falls on Tuesday in a double-dip.

The 5A Region 1 tournament begins May 7 at the home of the No. 1 seed.

In 4A, Moscow (8-10, 5-7 IEL) leads Lakeland (7-10, 4-8) by one game in the battle for the top seed to regionals, which begins May 7.

Lakeland travels to Moscow on Thursday for a doubleheader, then hosts Sandpoint in a twinbill next Saturday. Sandpoint plays host to Moscow on Monday for a pair.

Lake City 12-15

Lakeland 6-7

COEUR d’ALENE — The host Timberwolves trailed 5-3 in the second game before erupting for 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Layla Gugino hit a two-run double in the fourth inning and added a two-run homer in the sixth. She also hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the first game, and finished the day 5 for 7 with seven RBIs and seven runs scored.

Taylor Hill hit a two-run single in the fourth for Lake City, and finished 3 for 5 with three RBIs.

Kiersten Drake’s two-run double in the top of the first inning helped stake Lakeland to a 4-0 lead.

Kendra Schiley went 4 for 7 with four RBIs and five runs scored on the day for Lake City, and KaeLee Kolden was 4 for 8 with three doubles, two RBIs and five runs scored. Karsyn DeMent was 4 for 6 with five RBIs and three runs scored.

Lakeland junior pitcher MacKenzie Briggs left the first game after being struck in the left leg by a line drive in the fourth inning.

Delilah Zimmerman homered in the opener for Lakeland. Baylee Frank was 5 for 8 on the day for the Hawks, with two RBIs and three runs scored.

FIRST GAME 

Lakeland    102    010    2    —    6    8    1

Lake City    201    531    x    —     12    18    2

MacKenzie Briggs, Mia Kesner (4))  and Payton Sterling; Kylee Palmer, Madi Blood (5) and Taylor Hill.

HITS: LL — Zimmerman, Drake, Frank 2, Blakemore, Dewey, Kesner, Barnard. LC — Schiley 2, Kolden 2, Gugino 3, Hill 2, DeMent 3, Peterson 2, Thomas, Blood. 2B — Drake, Peterson, Kolden, Gugino. HR — Zimmerman, Gugino.

SECOND GAME 

Lakeland    400    101    1    —    7    10    1

Lake City    111    (10)02     x    —    12    18    2

Abby Helmholz, Mia Kesner (4) and Payton Sterling; Kylee Palmer, Madi Blood (1) and Taylor Hill.

HITS: LL — Zimmerman 2, Drake 2, Frank 3, Blakemore, Kesner 2. LC — Schiley 2, Kolden 2, Gugino 2, Hill 3, DeMent, PLeterson, Blood 2, Chavez. 2B — Mesner, Drake, Hill, Kolden 2, Gugino. HR — Gugino.

Coeur d’Alene 6-10

Lewiston 5-11

LEWISTON — The visiting Vikings nearly swept their way into first place at Airport Park, but Ava Thorson’s two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning of the second game capped a three-run rally by the host Bengals for an 11-10 win.

In the top of the seventh, Kyndal Bridge hit a two-run double to put Coeur d’Alene ahead 9-8, then scored on a single by Abbey Linder. 

Bridge was 3 for 4 with two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored in the second game, and finished the day 5 for 8 with seven RBIs and four runs scored.

Morgan Knutson was 3 for 4 with two RBIs and a run scored in the second game for the Vikings. For the day, she was 6 for 8.

In the first game, Bridge singled in Chloe Burke in the seventh to break a 3-all tie.

FIRST GAME

Coeur d’Alene    002    001    3    —    6    11    5

Lewiston    000    003    2    —    5    6    4

Leah Nordman, Jenna Davenport (6) and Kyndal Bridge; Jenna Barney and Caitrin Reel.

HITS: Cd’A — Burke 2, Nelson 2, Bridge 2, Davenport, Knutson 3, Nordman. Lew — Arellano 2, Schnell, Hogaboam, Shepard, Nuxoll. 2B — Knutson, Nelson, Arellano.

SECOND GAME 

Coeur d’Alene     120    013    3    —    10    12    4

Lewiston    020    123    4    —    12    9    2

1 out when winning run scored.

Leah Nordman and Kyndal Bridge; Ashland Schnell and Caitrin Reel.

HITS: Cd’A — Burke, Nelson, Bridge 3, Linder 2, Knutson 3, Nordman, Pratt. Lew — Arellano 3, Barney, Thayer, Thorson, Reel, Hogaboam, Scovill. 2B — Knutson, Bridge 2, Reel.

Grangeville 20-10

Kellogg 10-6

GRANGEVILLE — The Bulldogs (14-7, 10-2 Central Idaho League) swept the Wildcats (6-9, 4-5) at Grangeville High.

    MARK NELKE/Press Lake City center fielder Sammie Chavez makes a leaping try on a home run by Lakeland's Delilah Zimmerman which bounced off the top of the fence in the first game Saturday at Lake City High.
  

    MARK NELKE/Press Delilah Zimmerman (2) of Lakeland is all smiles after homering in the first game vs. Lake City on Saturday at Lake City High.