POST FALLS - After taking leads early in both games on their home field, the Prairie Cardinals were out to show they've improved since being swept in a class AA North Idaho League American Legion baseball doubleheader against the Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen at McEuen Field on June 8.

Despite dropping the first game 13-8, the Cardinals battled back to earn the split with the first-place Lumbermen with an 8-4 win in the nightcap at Post Falls High on Tuesday.

"The first game could have gone either way," Prairie coach Dustin Frank said. "We didn't play ball at the end of the first game, but we competed with them. We came back in the second game and showed we're here and have improved."

Coeur d'Alene went 3-2 in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Wood Bat Classic over the weekend at McEuen Field.

“I kind of second-guessed myself in the second game,” Coeur d’Alene coach Lloyd Duman said. “We should have went with Colin (Comack) on the mound, but he needed to rest after the weekend. I was very happy to come away with a split. I know the league is tough this year. To walk away with a split on an opponent’s field is better than losing both by a run.”

In the first game, Coeur d’Alene first baseman Matt Cade had three hits, including a two-run single in a seven-run sixth inning as the Lumbermen defeated the Cardinals 13-8 before the host team battled back behind seven strikeouts by Cody Vandever to earn a split with an 8-4 win.

“We were hitting the ball hard in the first game,” Coeur d’Alene coach Lloyd Duman said. “They just started dropping after the second and third inning.”

Prairie (15-18, 9-6 NIL) jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first inning as right fielder Gil Givens hit a grand slam over the left field fence to give the Cardinals an early advantage after the Lumbermen (28-14, 12-2) committed three errors in the first inning.

“We started playing ‘boot the ball’ in the first inning,” Duman said. “We seem to do that a lot in the first inning, but to come back from it was pretty special.”

Pete Hoffman scored on a passed ball in the sixth inning and Matt Cade had three hits, including a two-run single to put the Lums up 10-7. Colin Comack had a two-run double and Joe Roletto had an RBI single as the Lumbermen scored six runs to go up 13-7.

“I was fouling off some tough pitches,” said Cade of his sixth inning at-bat. “I saw that the six hole was open so I hit it there and we scored some runs. I’m finally seeing the ball again and getting my groove back.”

Eric Cooper hit a solo home run in the first game for Prairie.

In the second game, Prairie jumped out to a 3-0 lead on RBIs from Cooper, Darnell Metcalf and Tyler Shaffer and held on behind a complete-game six-hitter by Vandever.

“Whenever I pitch, I’ve got to go out and compete,” Vandever said. “They’ve got some good hitters on their team. This really boosts our confidence heading into districts. Cd’A was a team to beat and now we’ve beaten them.”

Prairie still has two games remaining with Lewis-Clark and three with Trail before districts begin on July 21 in Trail, British Columbia.

Coeur d’Alene travels to Lewis-Clark on Tuesday, then hosts Cranbrook and Trail to conclude the league schedule next Friday and Saturday.

“It makes you feel good to get a win against Cd’A,” Frank said. “We were hoping to get two. Cory threw really well. We ask him to do a lot for us and he’s won us a lot of big games. He definitely rose to the occasion tonight.”

Coeur d’Alene mounted a rally in the seventh as Kaleb DeHaas came around to score after a missed third strike and Grant Curtis singled to score Comack to make it 8-4 with two out in the seventh.

With the bases loaded, Vandever got Chad Nyquist to fly out to center to end the game.

Prairie will host Trail in a doubleheader on Tuesday starting at 1 p.m.

Coeur d’Alene will face Barlow in its first game at the Diamond Classic tournament in Clackamas, Ore., on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

FIRST GAME

Coeur d’Alene 201 226 0 — 13 13 6

Prairie 600 100 1 — 8 10 3

Grant Curtis, Colin Comack (7) and Kaleb DeHaas; Tyler Shaffer, Daniel Mobeck (4), Tony Davidson (6), Zack Reeder (6) and Zack Reeder, Darnell Metcalf (6). W — Curtis (5-3). L — Davidson (2-3).

HITS: Cd’A — Pattis, Cade 3, Curtis, Bevacqua, DeHaas, Comack 3, Roletto 2, Hoffman. Pra — Tymesen 2, Metcalf 2, Givens, Cooper 3, Davidson 2. 2B — Cade, Bevacqua, DeHaas, Comack 2. 3B — Pattis. HR — Givens (4), Cooper (3).

SECOND GAME

Coeur d’Alene 000 101 2 — 4 6 3

Prairie 320 210 x — 8 11 1

Matt Cade, Ransom Storm (3) and Joe Roletto; Cody Vandever and Zack Reeder, Darnell Metcalf (5). W — Vandever (4-1). L — Cade (1-3).

HITS: Cd’A — Comack, Bevacqua, Nyquist 2, Curtis 2. Pra — Tymesen 2, Cooper, Metcalf 2, South, Shaffer 3, Carter 2. 2B — Nyquist 2, Tymesen, Metcalf, Shaffer, Carter.