COEUR d'ALENE - To make any offense go in softball, it's usually up to the leadoff hitter.

For the Lake City Timberwolves on Friday, Vanessa Shippy ran early and often.

Shippy reached base all four times at the plate, walking three times and delivering an RBI single in the fifth inning as the Timberwolves defeated the visiting Coeur d'Alene Vikings 9-0 in a 5A Inland Empire League game.

"For me honestly, it's about coming out and starting off the team and getting a vibe going," said Shippy, a sophomore. "Once you get on, they start getting upbeat and pumping up the energy."

Shippy scored three runs for Lake City (7-1, 4-0 5A IEL), which hosts Lakeland on Tuesday.

"Whether it's Casey (Stangel) or Katie (Rowe), anyone in our lineup can get her over," Lake City coach Laura Tolzmann said. "Our biggest goal is to get a runner to second. Everyone is capable of getting a hit to drive her in."

Lake City didn’t get its first hit until a single by Hailey Jackson with two out in the third inning. Casey Stangel followed with a two-run home run to give the Timberwolves a 3-0 lead.

“Our team goal is to score first,” Tolzmann said. “We got on the board right away and just kept on the offensive. I thought we swung the bats well today.”

Stangel finished with three RBIs and struck out seven.

“I still feel like we’re getting started,” Tolzmann said.

Shippy moved from second base to catcher this year.

“It’s been awesome,” Shippy said. “I’m in a lot more plays now. Casey and I make a good team and work well together. It’s a new feeling, but I really, really enjoy it.”

Chelsey Rasmussen had the only hit for the Vikings (2-2, 0-2) with a double in the fourth inning.

“We made some mistakes today,” Coeur d’Alene coach Larry Bieber said. “We had one ball we should have cut off and gotten a runner at second, but our catcher didn’t call it and another when we shouldn’t have cut it and got the runner at home. We’re going to get over this. We’re putting the ball in play.”

The temperature for Friday’s game was 20 degrees colder than Tuesday’s matchup won by Lake City 5-2 at Coeur d’Alene High, where it was 65 degrees and sunny.

“The weather does a lot with our pitching,” Bieber said. “Neither of them like to throw in the cold. I don’t even like to coach in the cold — but that’s not an excuse. They had to play in it too.”

Coeur d’Alene travels to Shadle Park today.

It was Lake City’s ninth straight victory over Coeur d’Alene, dating back to 2010.

“We just need to continue to get better every day,” Bieber said. “I think we’re in a pretty good place with the kids’ attitude. To take a 9-0 loss against your archrival, usually you’re hanging your head. We’re not. The kids aren’t losing the lesson and are getting that way mentally.”

Coeur d’Alene 000 000 0 — 0 1 1

Lake City 103 121 x — 9 7 1

Nikki Ragsdale, Lindsie Scholwinski (3) and Rashell Shaffer; Casey Stangel and Vanessa Shippy. W — Stangel (7-1). L — Ragsdale (0-1).

HITS: Cd’A — C. Rasmussen. LC — Stangel, Rowe 2, Jackson, J. Wilson, Shippy, Kritz. 2B — Rasmussen. HR — Stangel (2), Rowe (3).