RATHDRUM - Lakeland High softball coach Colleen Bevacqua was coaching up junior Larissa Langenderfer from the third base line during her entire at-bat with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Then, just as it appeared Saturday's 4A Region 1 championship game was heading to extra innings, it was over.

Langenderfer's sharp grounder down the third base line deflected off the Sandpoint third baseman's glove for a single, allowing the winning run to score as the Hawks rallied to defeat the Sandpoint Bulldogs 6-5 in the title game to clinch a second straight regional crown.

"She just kept smiling at me," said Bevacqua of the at-bat. I knew she was going to get something done."

Lakeland qualified for state for the fourth time in five seasons.

"We're really excited," Bevacqua said. "Especially for our seniors. They've worked really hard and the entire team has worked hard. We just want to come out now and put on a really good show for our school."

"I just want to thank my heavenly father," Langenderfer said. "Through him, I can do all things with Christ's strength through me. It's an amazing feeling to get back to state with this group of seniors. It's going to be a good time."

Lakeland (15-8) will open the state 4A tournament against District 3 runner-up Kuna (15-7) on Friday at 9 a.m. at Post Falls High. Sandpoint finishes 9-14.

Lakeland took a 3-0 lead in the third inning as Erin Ogden hit a sacrifice fly to score Faith Bodak, and Tifani Schorzman hit a two-run single to score Lauren Schwalbach and Bekah Kastning.

Sandpoint cut into the deficit in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by Topi Elsfelder, who later had a two-run single to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 lead in the fifth.

"She goes up and swings the bat hard," Sandpoint coach Derek Dickinson said. "She lets it go every time she swings and tries to get the most out of every swing. She caught a pitch and put a charge into it and launched it. She did the job today and playing that DP (designated player), most kids don't want to play it, but she embraces it and goes up there and wants to swing it."

Schorzman had an RBI single to score Kastning to make it 5-4 Sandpoint in the fifth inning. Lakeland pitcher Kristin Klopatek struck out seven and didn't allow a hit after the fifth inning.

"We really pulled together and kept it together as a team," Bevacqua said. "They just continued to work hard and put some hits together when we needed to."

It was Sandpoint's first appearance in the regional championship game since 2007. The Bulldogs were bidding for their first trip to state since 2003, when the tournament was held in Post Falls.

"It's been a while," Dickinson said. "We took a step forward this season and we had to take a step forward this year, because now this allows us to take a bigger step next season as far as making major strides toward a state tournament."

Cody Baldree had three hits and Casey Bottomley had five strikeouts for Sandpoint.

"It was a great game," Dickinson said. "And that's all you can ask for in a district championship game. To have a game come down to the seventh inning, and both battling tooth and nail, they just got it done."

Sandpoint 000 230 0 - 5 10 2

Lakeland 003 010 2 - 6 10 1

Two out when winning run scored.

Casey Bottomley and Jessica Strickland; Kristin Klopatek and Tifani Schorzman. W - Klopatek (14-7). L - Bottomley (9-13).

HITS: Spt - Speelmon 2, Elsfelder 3, Baldree 3, Mitchell, Buchmiller. LL - Kastning 2, Prockish, Bodak, Schwalbach 2, Schorzman 2, Langenderfer, Ogden. 2B - Baldree, Kastning 2, Schwalbach. HR - Elsfelder (1).