PREP SOFTBALL: Vikings sweep, get help, win IEL

COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene Vikings took care of their business on Thursday, and got some needed help from their city rival.

Coeur d’Alene swept visiting Post Falls 5-3 and 9-3 in the regular-season and Inland Empire League finale for both teams at Larry Schwenke Field.

Coeur d’Alene entered the day tied for first in the IEL with Lewiston, with the Bengals holding the run-differential tiebreaker.

But Lake City beat Lewiston 10-3 in the first game to give Coeur d’Alene the inside track to the title, then the Timberwolves finished the sweep of the Bengals with an 8-3 win.

Coeur d'Alene won its third straight league title.

The sweep gave Lake City the No. 2 seed over Lewiston for next week’s 5A Region I tournament.

On Tuesday at 2 p.m., No. 1 Coeur d'Alene (17-5, 15-3 IEL) will play host to No. 4 Post Falls (5-17, 4-14), and No. 2 Lake City 15-7, 13-5) will face No. 3 Lewiston (13-5, 13-9) at Finucane Park in Hayden.

The winners play at 4 at Coeur d’Alene for the regional title and a berth to state, and the losers play at 4 at Finucane Park in a loser-out game.

On Thursday, Coeur d’Alene had to rally from a 3-2 deficit in the first game against Post Falls. 

Freshman Kyndal Bridge, who drove in a run with a groundout in the first inning, tied the game in the fifth at 3-3 with a solo homer. 

In the sixth, Jenna Davenport singled in the go-ahead run, and Abby Moehring followed with a run-scoring single.

Davenport, a freshman, earned the win in relief, striking out six and allowing four hits in 5.2 shutout innings.

Katie Berg’s two-run single in the second put Post Falls up 3-2, a lead the Trojans held until the bottom of the fifth.

In the second game, Chloe Burke went 4 for 4 and scored three runs, and Bridge had two hits and drove in four runs for the Vikings.

Morgan Knutson’s two-run single highlighted a five-run fourth inning that boosted the Coeur d’Alene lead to 8-0. Davenport struck out nine in a complete-game victory, and also tripled in a run in the third.

Jaya Felix went 3 for 4 with an RBI for Post Falls.

FIRST GAME

Post Falls    030    000    0    —    3    5    1

Coeur d’Alene    200    012    x    —     5    10    2

Lexie McCarroll and McKenna Zimmerman; Leah Nordman, Jenna Davenport (2) and Kyndal Bridge.

HITS: PF — Zimmerman 2, Berg, Dan, McCarroll. Cd’A — Burke, Nelson, Bridge, Knutson, Davenport, P. McLaughlin 2, Moehring 2. HR — Bridge.

SECOND GAME

Post Falls    000    021    0    —    3    8    2

Coeur d’Alene    012    510    x    —    9    15    0

Lexie McCarroll, Jaya Felix (4) and McKenna Zimmerman; Jenna Davenport and Kyndal Bridge. 

HITS: PF — Zimmerman 2, Felix 3, Rouse, McCarroll, Williams. Cd’A — Burke 4, Nelson, Bridge 2, Knutson 2, Vignale 2, Davenport, Henderson, Nordman, Moehring. 2B — Zimmerman, Rouse, Nelson. 3B — Davenport.

Lake City 10-8

Lewiston 3-3

COEUR d’ALENE — Trailing 3-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth in the first game, Lake City erupted for 10 runs, highlighted by Karsyn DeMent’s grand slam that put the Timberwolves ahead 4-3. KaeLee Kolden added a two-run double, and Taylor Hill hit a three-run homer to cap the scoring.

Kylee Palmer struck out seven and allowed two hits in a complete game for Lake City. 

“Once we were able to make some adjustments in the box we finally starting stringing some big hits together,” Lake City coach Jordyn Hensley said. “Karsyn was clutch for us in Game 1 ... the energy from that hit helped carry us through the rest of day. She set the tone for the day offensively.”

Shelby Arellano’s two-run single in the top of the sixth increased Lewiston’s lead to 3-0.

In the second game, Maddy Blood struck out eight and scattered three hits for Lake City, and the Timberwolves made the most of their four hits.

Hill hit a solo homer and Madi Blood added a three-run shot in the third for Lake City, and Layla Gugino hit a three-run home run in the sixth.

“Today was our senior day and no better way to celebrate than with a phenomenal day for both Kylee and Taylor,” Hensley said. “Taylor was a force at the plate and Kylee lead us in the circle in Game 1 and had great command of her pitches. I am really proud of them. Maddy Blood was also incredible in the circle for us today … our pitching was the best it’s been all year.”

FIRST GAME 

Lewiston    100    002    0    —    3    2    3

Lake City    000    00(10)    x    —    10    8    2

Ashland Schnell and Caitrin Reel; Kylee Palmer and Taylor Hill.

HITS: Lew — Arellano 2. LC — Kolden 2, Gugino, Hill, DeMent, Peterson, Thomas, Chavez. 2B — Kolden. HR — DeMent, Hill.

SECOND GAME

Lewiston    000    201    0    —    3    3    4

Lake City    104    003    x    —    8    4    2

Jenna Barney and unknown; Madi Blood and Taylor Hill.

HITS: Lew — Arellano, Barney, Schnell. LC — Gugino, Hill, Blood 2. HR — Barney, Hill, Blood, Gugino.

Moscow 12-15

Lakeland 4-14

MOSCOW — Lakeland could have put itself in position for the No. 1 seed to 4A regionals with a sweep, but Moscow clinched the top seed by winning the opener at the Moscow School District Community Playfields, buoyed by a six-run sixth inning.

Abby Helmholz had three hits in the opener for Lakeland, and Alexis Hanna and Baylee Frank had two each.

Kaci Kiblen hit a three-run homer in the second inning for Moscow. Sammy Pfiffner’s three-run double keyed a six-run sixth for the Bears.

In the second game, Lakeland led 14-5 after a nine-run fifth, but Moscow scored 10 runs in its final two at-bats, including seven in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Ella McCallie’s two-run single.

Kiersten Drake drove in three runs for Lakeland, two on a third-inning home run. Frank hit a two-run double to key a nine-run fifth for the Hawks which broke a 5-5 tie.

Kaci Kiblen hit a two-run homer in the sixth to start Moscow’s comeback, and Hannah Robertson finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs.

Lakeland will play host to Sandpoint on Saturday at noon in a doubleheader to wrap up the regular season.

On Tuesday, No. 2 seed Lakeland will face No. 3 Sandpoint at 3 p.m. at Moscow in the loser-out  first round of the 4A Region 1 tournament. The winner will play No. 1 Moscow at 5 p.m. in the first game of a best-of-3 championship series for the region’s lone berth to state.

FIRST GAME

Lakeland    020    110    0    —    4    11    5

Moscow    040    116    x    —    12    12    3

Abby Helmholz and Payton Sterling; Kelly Stodick and Megan Highfill.

HITS: LL — Hanna 2, Sterling, Drake, Frank 2, Blakemore, Dewey, Helmholz 3. Mos — Kiblen 2, Branen 2, Highfill 2, Robertson, Stodick, Pfiffner 3, McCallie. 2B — Frank, Drake, Blakemore, Sterling, Pfiffner, Branen. HR — Kiblen.

SECOND GAME

Lakeland    022    190    0    —    14    14    3

Moscow    230    003    7    —    15    16    3

2 out when winning run scored.

Mia Kesner, Abby Helmholz (7) and Payton Sterling; Ella McCallie, Taylor Williams (6), Kelly Stodick (6) and Megan Highfill.

HITS: LL —    Hanna 2, Zimmerman 2, Sterling 2, Drake 2, Frank 2, Corbey 2, Blakemore, Dutton. Mos — Kiblen 2, Branen, Highfill 3, Robertson 3, Stodick, Pfiffner 3, McCallie 2, Hurley. 2B — Frank 2, Drake, Hanna, Branen, Pfiffner. HR — Drake, Kiblen.