6A BASEBALL STATE PLAY-IN SERIES: Bam goes the Vikings ... Fenter's walk-off hit sends Coeur d'Alene into title game

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

COEUR d’ALENE — A lineup switch by Coeur d’Alene High baseball coach Brandon Williams put junior Bam Fenter in the spotlight early Friday evening at Lake City High. 

Fenter, moved up from fifth to second in the batting order on Friday, dropped a single into shallow center field with two out in the bottom of the seventh to score Jackson Hackett from third base, capping a two-run rally that lifted the Vikings past the Highland Rams of Pocatello 3-2 in the second game of the 6A state play-in series North Qualifier, and into today’s championship game. 

"Just trying to drive in up the middle,” Fenter said. “I was a little late and got behind it, but hey, did the job. I felt like I was kinda due for it. I had just been lining out a ton — hitting right at people.” 

Coeur d’Alene (17-4) will play in the championship game today at 1 p.m. against the winner of the 10 a.m. loser-out game between Lake City (13-9) and Highland (19-10). The Lake City-Highland winner will have to beat Coeur d’Alene twice to earn the North’s lone berth to the four-team double-elimination state tournament next weekend in Boise.

“I feel it’s huge,” Williams said of reaching the title game and avoiding the loser-out game. “With pitching, especially. Now we get to sit for that game, only using one guy.” 

In the first game Friday, Lake City scored five runs in the bottom of the first to take a 5-1 lead, but scored just one run the rest of the way.  

“Brutal,” Lake City coach Mike Criswell said. “We had so many missed opportunities. I hate when we come out and put up so many so early … like I said, if it’s not double digits (in runs), it’s not enough. We played really good defense until right at the end.” 

Coeur d’Alene 3, Highland 2: Highland, which made the 527-mile trip north, nearly capped a memorable first day with two wins over the home team and the team from 2 miles away. 

The Rams took a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh when Kaulana Alvarico lined a single to center field to score Marshall Glenn from third with two out. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Harrison Trunkey-Evans singled to center field to lead off for the Vikings. Hunter Chambers sacrificed him to second base. Hackett, a sophomore, lined a single to center field to score Trunkey-Evans and tie the game.  

Hackett stole second base, then moved up to third on a fly to deep right by Tyler Voorhees. 

Fenter then came through. 

"Today was the first time I had Bam hit in the 2-hole,” Williams said. “It was just something, I thought we may need to rejuvenate the lineup, and see if that would spark something. I just did it on a whim; actually, I just did it right before the game.” 

“Just get on base, crowd the plate, do anything you can,” Fenter said of the team’s mindset in the bottom of the seventh. “Just get on. We’ve got a lot of heart on this team. We all want to fight; we all want to win. We’re all dogs.” 

Both starters were splendid, but both were gone when the game was decided, due to the 110-pitch limit in high school baseball. 

Coeur d’Alene sophomore Evan Robertson struck out eight, walked four and allowed five hits before being lifted with two out in the seventh after 112 pitches. 

“E.R. was E.R. tonight; he pitched phenomenal,” Williams said. “He did what he had to do; he kept us in the ballgame, because we weren’t hitting.” 

Highland senior Mason Payne scattered six hits and came out with two out in the seventh after 110 pitches. 

“They (the Viking players) were saying he was hiding the ball,” Williams said of Payne. “It was tough picking up. And when they thought something was coming, it was something else. But in the beginning, we had great swings, but we were hitting the ball right at 'em. And I’m going to tell my guys, ‘keep doing it.’” 

Coeur d’Alene was scoreless until the sixth, when Blake Foulk’s sacrifice fly scored Gavin Helms to tie the game. 

Then came the seventh. 

"These guys buy in. These guys understand, get the next man up, and they faith in each and every one of these guys. I’m going to give so much props to that bottom of the lineup, they did well for us.” 

"Just kind of ran out of gas there,” said Highland coach Christian Colonel, who played at American Falls High, College of Southern Idaho and Texas Tech, then for nine years in the Colorado Rockies association.  

“But you know what, the boys battled, battled, battled. That’s impressive. Nine-hour drive, come out and play a doubleheader against two really tough opponents, and we took them to the seventh after an extra-inning game. 

“No easy outs,” Colonel said of Coeur d’Alene. “And their pitcher just filled up the zone.” 

Highland     100    000    1    —    2    6    1 

Coeur d’Alene     000    001    2    —    3    7    1 

2 out when winning run scored. 

Mason Payne, Kaulana Alvarico (7) and Cannon Eddie; Evan Robertson, Will Beckenhauer (7) and Hunter Chambers. 

HITS: High — Glenn 2, Alvarico, Foltz, Colonel, Thurman. Cd’A — Fenter, Helms, Coey 2, Trunkey-Evans, Chambers, Hackett.  

Highland 7, Lake City 6, 9 inn.: A hit by pitch, walk and error loaded the bases for the Timberwolves in the bottom of the first, and Avery Cherry smacked a two-run double. After Owen Mangini was intentionally walked, Owen Moore grounded an RBI single to left field. An error and bases-loaded walk made it 5-1. 

A sacrifice fly by Travis Usdrowski in the third made it 6-1 Lake City. 

But Highland chipped away, scoring twice in the fourth on an infield single and an error.  

In the sixth, Highland loaded the bases with one out. Junior Maverick Lanigan, the T-Wolves’ third pitcher of the game, struck out the next batter.  

But Highland’s Cannon Eddie, a junior who came into the game batting .519, with a team-high six homers and second on the team with 26 RBIs, delivered a two-run single to left field to tie the game. 

In the seventh, Lake City had runners at first and second with one out, and first and third with two out, but couldn’t score. 

In the eighth, Lake City had runners at first and second with one out. The next man struck out, then Highland freshman left fielder Carter Thurman made a diving catch on Aven Adams’ liner to left center to save the game for the Rams. 

In the ninth, Andrew Scott reached on a throwing error to lead off for Highland, and wound up on second. He moved to third on a fly ball to right, then Marshall Glenn singled up the middle past a drawn-in infield to put the Rams ahead. 

Lake City again had runners on first and second with one out in the ninth, but a fly ball and a groundout ended the game. 

“Frustrating,” Criswell said. “We left too many guys on base. We had opportunities – the right guy up at the right time – and we just didn’t capitalize.” 

Lake City chased the Highland starter after just two innings, but Preston Foltz kept the Rams in it with six innings of one-run relief. 

“We just had to have that first game, just for momentum’s sake,” Criswell said.  

HIGHLAND 7, LAKE CITY 6 

Highland 100 212 001 – 7 8 3 

Lake City 501 000 000 – 6 11 3 

Kai Jones, Preston Foltz (3), Cannon Eddie (9) and Eddie, Grayson Lish (9); Tanner Franklin, Kasen Noffke (5), Maverick Lanigan (6), Mark Holecek (8) and Avret Cherry. 

HITS: High – Eddie, Glenn 2, Payne, Colonel, Scott 2. LC – Holecek, Pierce 2, Johnson 2, Cherry 2, Mangini, Moore 2, Adams. 2B – Glenn, Cherry. 

    MARK NELKE/Press Harrison Trunkey-Evans of Coeur d'Alene scores on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning vs. Highland on Friday at Lake City High.
  

    MARK NELKE/Press Lake City senior catcher Avrey Cherry catches a foul popup against Highland in the first game of the 6A state baseball play-in series Friday at Lake City High.

    MARK NELKE/Press Lake City shortstop Travis Usdrowski throws over Andrew Scott of Highland to first base for the double play in the first game of the 6A baseball state play-in series Friday at Lake City High.