PREP SOFTBALL: Timberlake nabs fifth straight district title

3A DISTRICT 1

SPIRIT LAKE — Acacia Pecor struck out 10, walked one and pitched a two-hitter, and the top-seeded Timberlake Tigers beat the second-seeded Bonners Ferry Badgers 12-2 in six innings on Thursday to sweep their best-of-3 series for the 3A District 1 title.

Timberlake won its fifth straight district title, and 17th district title since 2000.

Reese Allaway had two hits and drove in three runs for Timberlake (14-8), which advances to state May 16-18 at the Moscow School District Community Playfields.

Bonners Ferry finished 4-15.

Alillah Dykes delivered a two-run single as Timberlake took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Allaway singled in a pair of runs in the third as the Tigers went up 6-0. 

Allaway’s single in the sixth inning scored Casey Whaley to end the game on the 10-run rule.

“Acacia pitched a great game today for us,” Timberlake coach Casi Lupinacci said. “We did a good job of stringing together hits and creating chaos on the base paths. If we can continue to play this well we will make a run at the (state) tournament.”

Whaley and Marissa Needs each scored three runs for Timberlake.

Bonners Ferry    000    200    —    2    2    7

Timberlake    033    321    —    12    8    1

Taylor Sumpter, Jodee Curtis (6) and Ava Frederickson, Rebekah McBride (x); Acacia Pecor and Logan Walsh.

HITS: BF — A. Frederickson, K. Sumpter. TL — Dykes 2, Kitchin, Walsh, Whaley, Cameron, Allaway 2. 2B — Ava Frederickson, Kitchin, Walsh. 

5A REGION 1

Lewiston 7

Post Falls 4

LEWISTON — The fourth-seeded Trojans battled to the end, upending the No. 2 seed earlier in the tourney before seeing their season come to an end with a loss to the third-seeded Bengals in the 5A Region 1 second-place game at Airport Park.

Post Falls finished 6-19.

Lewiston (15-10) advances to a state play-in game vs. Capital of Boise on Saturday at Prairie High in Cottonwood.

McKenna Zimmerman led off the game with a single and eventually scored, and Post Falls led 2-0 after the top of the first.

Jenna Barney doubled in a run in the bottom half for Lewiston, then scored on a sacrifice fly.

Anna Ready’s two-run triple gave the Bengals a 5-2 lead after two.

Katie Berg singled in the top of the third for Post Falls, and eventually scored on a groundout. 

Libby Bennett’s RBI single in the sixth pulled the Trojans within 6-4, but Post Falls could draw no closer.

The Trojans fought down the stretch without their starting battery. Sophomore pitcher Lexie McCarroll pitched through a torn MCL and a half-torn meniscus all season, before being shut down late. And freshman catcher Kulani Peahu-Michael suffered an ankle injury vs. Lakeland in mid-April, and is still yet to be cleared to play.

“I’m super proud of the commitment and fight the girls showed through the last few games of the season,” third-year Post Falls coach Katy Sinn said. “We ended way better and improved from where we started. We had a lot of girls step up — Kayla (Rouse) came in to pitch three great games with Jaya (Felix) right there to back her up when we needed her. We wanted to stay scrappy and we definitely achieved that. 

“Our seniors, Katie Berg and Kayla Rouse, will be very much missed next year in the dynamic and performance they brought to the team, especially offensively.”

Post Falls    201    001    0    —    4    6    5

Lewiston    230    101    x    —    7    6    5

Kayla Rouse, Jaya Felix (5) and McKenna Zimmerman; Shelby Arellano, Jenna Barney (1), Ashland Schnell (2) and Caitrin Reel.

HITS: PF — Zimmerman, Berg, Carpenter, Wasson, Bennett 2. Lew — Ready, Barney, Schnell, Hogaboam 2, Miller. 2B — Barney. 3B — Ready.

4A REGION 1

Moscow 7

Lakeland 1

MOSCOW — The visiting Hawks scored first in the first, but that was it for the offense Thursday at the Moscow School District Community Playfields as Lakeland was swept by the Bears in a best-of-3 series for the 4A Region 1 title.

Moscow (14-10), which won its second straight regional title, advances to state May 16-18 at Coeur d’Alene and Lake City high schools. 

Lakeland finishes 10-14.

Lakeland scored in the first when Payton Sterling singled and courtesy runner Alyssa Ryckman scored on a single by Ada Blakemore. 

Megan Highfill had two hits and drove in four runs for Moscow, which led 2-1 before pulling away with two runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth. Highfill’s two-run single in the fifth increased the Bears’ lead to 4-1, and Kaci Kiblen and Highfill had run-scoring singles in the sixth.

Kelly Stodick scattered five hits for the Bears. 

Lakeland    100    000    0    —    1    5    3

Moscow    200    023    x    —    7    9    1

Abby Helmholz, Mia Kesner (6) and Payton Sterling; Kelly Stodick and Megan Highfill.

HITS: LL — Zimmerman 2, Sterling, Drake, Blakemore. Mos — Kiblen 2, Branen, Highfill 2, Robertson 2, Stodick, McCallie. 

2A DISTRICT 1-2

Kellogg comes up one game short of state

OROFINO — After eliminating fourth-seeded St. Maries 16-14 in eight innings earlier in the day, the Kellogg Wildcats fell to the top-seeded Orofino Maniacs 30-6 for the second berth to state at the 2A District 1-2 tournament.

Orofino (18-8) will join second-seeded Grangeville (17-7) at state May 16-18 at Orofino.

Grangeville upended Orofino 11-9 in the championship game.

Kellogg finished 8-14.

In the Kellogg-St. Maries game, St. Maries tied it with four runs in the bottom of the seventh, capped by a two-out, two-run homer by Madison Thomas. 

Kellogg scored five runs in the top of the eighth, then held on after St. Maries scored three in the bottom half.

St. Maries finished 5-18.

Kellogg    001    064    05    —    16    11    5

St. Maries    022    021    43    —    14    11    6

Macy Jerome and Brittany Hei; Lyssa Watkins, Addyson Stewart (5) and Brenna Elliott.

HITS: Kell — Card 2, Jerome, McDaniel, Bernier 2, Neveah, Hei 3, Karst. SM — Thomas, Nicholson 3, Stewart 2, Stoke, L. Brebner 3, Baird. 2B — Hei, Baird, L. Brebner. HR — Thomas, Stewart.

   JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Timberlake senior pitcher Acacia Pecor struck out 10 and pitched a two-hitter as the Tigers beat Bonners Ferry on Thursday to sweep the best-of-3 series for the 3A District 1 softball title.