THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Pitching and weather — it's state softball time in North Idaho

Folks were hoping that expanding the state softball tournaments from two days to three would ease the strain on a team’s pitching — especially for teams looking to ride one pitcher all the way through the tourney.

But even with the stretched-out tourney, teams could still play three games on Friday — something they were hoping to avoid — as well as three games on Saturday.

Each team will play once on Thursday afternoon.

“I was really hoping if you won on that first day, you would play a second game, but it’s just one game,” Timberlake coach Casi Lupinacci said. “So I don’t feel like it’s going to help us a ton, because you could still play three games that second day if you lose the first day. I don’t know that it will be a big change to anybody. I was really excited about it, but then they came out with the format and I was like, I don’t think this is going to benefit us much.”

A SPREAD-OUT tournament would have helped Coeur d’Alene the past two years at state, when the Vikings’ pitching options pretty much consisted of Kristine Schmidt and … Kristine Schmidt.

This year, freshman Jenna Davenport and junior Leah Nordman have each pitched a fair amount of innings for the Vikings. Coach Bobbi Darretta, who pitched Lake City to a state title in 2001, said she plans to ride the hot hand this weekend — but it’s nice to have a backup plan.

“Absolutely; it gives more rest,” Darretta said of the three-day tourney.

As it turns out, making it a three-day tournament had more to do with the weather than with pitching.

“The schedule was tight and when there were weather issues, there wasn’t flexibility,” said Mike Federico, assistant director of the Idaho High School Activities Association. “That was the main reason.”

WEATHER ISSUES? In North Idaho?

Oh yeah … 

Actually, rain has also affected state softball in other parts of the state, including the one year in Southeast Idaho when the losers bracket was canceled, and the final four teams high-tailed it to Boise for a Sunday finish.

In 2017, when state was in North Idaho, rain caused a Sunday finish.

And then there was the 2019 slog in North Idaho, where the losers bracket was canceled, and winners bracket games shortened to five innings.

And who could forget the sight of a massive field burner machine, tooling around on the JV softball field at Post Falls High, turning the muck on the field into something playable for a Saturday afternoon game.

This year?

Rain is in the forecast for Friday, which could test the aforementioned "flexibility" of a three-day state softball schedule.

THERE ARE no District 1 teams in the state 4A softball tournament, where games start today at Lake City High and Coeur d’Alene High. 

The lone District 1 team in the state 3A softball tournament is Timberlake, which begins play today at the Moscow School District Community Playfields.

Moscow earned the lone berth to state from North Idaho in 4A softball.

Perhaps the folks on the Timberlake and Moscow buses can wave at each other as Timberlake treks south on U.S. 95, and Moscow heads north.

It would make more sense if Timberlake played state in Coeur d’Alene, and Moscow played in its own town, but so it goes.

Had Lakeland won the 4A Region 1 tournament, the Hawks would have been playing in Coeur d’Alene.

Two years ago, Lakeland placed fourth at state for its first trophy since 2013. But the Hawks haven’t been able to get past the Bears last year and this year.

But the future looks bright in Rathdrum.

“Disappointing end to the season, but we are sure building a great program here and our future is bright,” third-year Lakeland coach Dwayne Curry said after the Hawks were swept by Moscow in a best-of-3 series for the regional title. “We were still a very young team this year, only one varsity starting senior. Our underclassmen took some great steps forward this year.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.