STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: After heartbreaking loss in semis, Lake City falls in 5A third-place game
Photo by CANDICE SMITH Lake City junior right fielder Owen Moore snags a fly ball for the final out in the top of the seventh inning vs. Mountain View in the third-place game of the state 5A baseball tournament Saturday at the College of Idaho's Wolfe Field in Caldwell.
CALDWELL — It was a frustrating end to a terrific season for the Lake City Timberwolves.
After a heartbreaking nine-inning loss in the semifinals to second-seeded Owyhee of Meridian on Friday night, the third-seeded Timberwolves were unable to bounce back on Saturday, falling 5-2 to eighth-seeded Mountain View of Meridian in the third-place game of the state 5A tournament at the College of Idaho’s Wolfe Field.
Lake City, which headed south hoping to win its first state title since 2016, and third overall, finished 20-7.
Lake City outhit Mountain View (18-11) 11-6, but left seven on base.
Mountain View scored on a wild pitch, an error, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single in the top of the second to build a 4-0 lead.
Lake City got one back in the fourth when Braeden Newby singled in Mark Holecek, who led off the inning with a base hit.
A Lake City error allowed the Mavericks’ fifth run to score in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom half, Travis Usdrowski doubled with one out, and scored on Cooper Smith’s single.
Lake City brought the tying run to plate in the seventh after one-out singles from Jake Dannenberg and Usdrowski. But a strikeout and a groundout ended the game.
Owyhee (24-2) went on to win its third straight state title, beating No. 4 seed Rocky Mountain (19-9) of Meridian 5-4 in the title game.
Mtn. View 040 010 0 — 5 6 1
Lake City 000 110 0 — 2 11 3
Tate Baird, Evan Perry (6) and Patrick Judge; AJ Currie, Charlie Dixon (6) and Cooper Smith, Avrey Cherry (6).
HITS: MV — Grizzle 2, Burnham, Perry, Lupton, Flournoy. LC — Dannenberg 3, Usdrowski 2, Smith, Holecek, Dixon 2, Pierce, Newby. 2B — Usdrowski.
• 4A
No. 2 seed Moscow (20-7) won the state title, beating No. 4 Bishop Kelly (18-10) 7-6 in the title game at Vallivue High in Caldwell.
• 3A
No. 2 Sugar-Salem (21-4) downed No. 1 Homedale (23-5) 10-9 in the title game at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa.
• 2A
In an all-Central Idaho League final, Orofino (25-2) beat Grangeville (23-5) in the championship game at Halliwell Park in Pocatello.