PREP BASEBALL: Pile of happy Tigers ... Timberlake sweeps Bonners Ferry for district title, on to state

3A DISTRICT 1

SPIRIT LAKE — The Timberlake Tigers didn’t waste any time wrapping up their second straight 3A District 1 baseball title on Thursday.

The top-seeded Tigers scored six runs in the first inning, and went on to beat the Bonners Ferry Badgers 14-2 at John Shaffer Field to sweep their best-of-3 series for the district title.

“I haven't seen this offensive show from us this year,” Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson said. “We came out swinging it.”

Senior Grant Allaway struck out eight and drove in four runs for Timberlake (12-9-1), which advances to state May 16-18 at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa.

He did not allow a hit in the five-inning game, but walked seven and hit one. The Tigers committed two errors.

Bonners Ferry loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, but Allaway got out of it with a strikeout and a double play.

“He’s just a senior — been there, done that, he just had to make adjustments out there,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t pretty, but at this point of the season it doesn’t need to be pretty.”

Allaway hit a two-run double in the first inning and a two-run single in the third. Caden Robinett, who pitched a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts in Game 1 on Wednesday, added an RBI single in the first. Cooper Lenz capped the inning with a two-run single.

Zach Blansfield had RBI singles in the second and third innings for Timberlake, and Robinett singled in the game’s final run in the fourth.

Lenz finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Timberlake was sixth in the 3A MaxPreps rankings, used to seed the state tournament, on Thursday.

Bonners Ferry finished 4-20.

Bonners Ferry    002    00    —    2    0    3

Timberlake    625    1x    —    14    11    2

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Thomas Bateman, Jack Woods (1), Brody Rice (2), Stryder Liermann (3), Jesse Fess (4) and Keenan Maas; Grant Allaway and Ethan Pecor.

HITS: BF — none. TL — Lenz 3, Allaway 2, Robinett 2, Moore, Blansfield 2, Huston. 2B — Allaway.

5A REGION 1

Coeur d'Alene 4

Lewiston 2

COEUR d’ALENE — A little change at the top and the Coeur d’Alene Vikings are back in the hunt for a state playoff bid.

Junior Owen Field had a two-run RBI single in the bottom of the second inning for the second-seeded Vikings, who held off the third-seeded Lewiston Bengals in the 5A Region 1 second-place game at Ted Page Field on Thursday.

Coeur d’Alene (16-10) will face Capital of Boise, the sixth-seed from District 3 (Boise area) in a state play-in game on Saturday at Church Field in Lewiston at 1 p.m.

Field also walked twice for Coeur d’Alene in the leadoff spot.

“It was a really big hit for Owen in the second inning,” Coeur d’Alene coach Erik Karns said. “He really changed his approach at the plate, and he just executed today. I was really pleased with his at-bats today.”

Junior Harrison Trunkey-Evans struck out seven and allowed four hits in the win.

“Harrison gave us a great start,” Karns said. “It’s been a few days since he’s started and he was ready to go. I was really proud of him. He showed up for his team and our offense did just enough to scratch out a win against a scrappy Lewiston team.”

Lewiston tied the game at 2-2 on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth before the Vikings regained the lead at 3-2 in the third on an RBI single by sophomore Blake Foulk to score sophomore Bam Fenter.

Lewiston finished 14-11.

Lewiston    002    000    0    —    2    4    0

Coeur d’Alene    021    100    x    —    4    7    3

Austin Topp and River Stamper; Harrison Trunkey-Evans and Chase Saunders.

HITS: Lew — Krasselt 2, Topp, Schumacher. Cd’A — Field 2, Saunders, Fenter, Foulk, Voorhees, Christ. 2B — Voorhees, Fenter, Christ.

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Timberlake first baseman Caden Robinett clutches the throw from third base for the final out as Keenan Moss of Bonners Ferry slides into first in Game 2 of the best-of-3 3A District 1 baseball playoffs Thursday in Spirit Lake.