COEUR d'ALENE - For as hot as the Lake City High offense has been over the last two weeks, their counterparts across U.S. 95 were just a little hotter in the second game of a 5A Inland Empire League doubleheader.

Jackson Sumner hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning - his third homer in his last four games - and Devin Kluss, Michael Hicks and Nathaniel English drove in three runs each as the visiting Coeur d'Alene Vikings beat the Lake City Timberwolves 15-13 to clinch the second seed in next week's 5A Region 1 tournament.

Jordan Ross drove in two runs and struck out four in the first game for Lake City in a 7-4 win.

"It was good to see him come out and throw the ball well," Lake City coach Travis Georgius said. He's been a little bit under the weather lately, but he's a competitor and that's what has been keeping us in some games lately and starting to win some toward the end of the season. These guys keep competing."

Coeur d'Alene (16-7-1, 8-4 5A IEL) will host Lake City (13-9, 6-6) in the opening round on Monday at 4 p.m. Lewiston, the league champion, will host Post Falls in Monday's other opening round game, with the winners advancing to the regional championship game on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the higher seed.

"It matters to be at home," Coeur d'Alene coach Nick Rook said. "Being on your home field, and how you prep your field and how it bounces is a big help. Even though it's (two) miles away, I do think it's important."

After a scoreless first inning, Coeur d'Alene broke things open in the second game to take a 3-2 lead on a two-run single by Kluss. English, who led off the inning with a single, delivered a three-run double to push the lead to 7-2.

see BASEBALL, B2

"We can be extremely dynamic when we want to be," Rook said. "And it's by the kids' choice. When they choose to elevate their game, we can beat anybody. When we're lethargic, we're very beatable."

Hicks hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning for Coeur d'Alene.

"Our guys have been struggling at the plate, but have been working at making some adjustments," Rook said. "It's great to see them finding success with that. English is a junior, and Sumner is a sophomore, so it's understandable for them to have ups and downs. Hicks is an electric player pretty much 100 percent of the time, but he needs to come up with some runners on base as well."

Gibson Green went 3 for 4 with a run scored in the second game for Coeur d'Alene.

"I think we kind of shook ourselves and had a bit of a reality check after that first game," Green said. "We had to do it the right way in the second game. We're looking forward to districts and playing them again on Monday."

Trailing 11-2 in the bottom of the third, Lake City answered with five runs, keyed by two-run doubles by Reilly Cherry and Kodie Kolden to make the score 11-7.

"It was good to see them come back," Georgius said. "But it's tough when you get down that many that early. After winning the first one, we didn't get content just getting a split. The kids battled and put some at-bats together."

Lake City, which would have passed the Vikings for the No. 2 seed with a sweep, used five pitchers to get through the second game.

"Even those guys that came in relief, they might have been in for an inning, but they were all-in that inning and it was good to see," Georgius said. "We've got a couple of games to finish it out this week and will see these guys again on Monday. It's going to be a dogfight."

Lake City hosts Moscow today at 4.

FIRST GAME

Coeur d'Alene 000 103 0 - 4 6 0

Lake City 001 402 x - 7 7 0

Devin Kluss, Nathaniel English (6), Jackson Sumner (6) and Reggie Nault; Jordan Ross, Cody Garza (5) and Reilly Cherry. W - Ross (4-4). L - Kluss (1-1).

HITS: Cd'A - Hicks, Nault, Sumner 2, Carter, Richards. LC - Ross 2, Hall, Garza 2, Cherry 2. 2B - Carter, Richards, Ross, Garza.

SECOND GAME

Coeur d'Alene 074 040 0 - 15 19 2

Lake City 205 050 1 - 13 15

Tanner Toepke, Connor Cardinel (5), Colin Richards (6) and Jayce Bailey; Sam Slusser, Kodie Kolden (2), Jarred Hall (4), Parker Gabrielson (6), Cody Garza (7) and Reilly Cherry. W - Toepke (1-0). L - Slusser (3-5).

HITS: Cd'A - Plum, Green 3, Kluss 3, Hicks, Sumner 2, Richards, Toepke 2, English 3, Bailey, Carter. LC - Ross 2, Hall, Garza 3, Conigilaro, Cherry 2, Kolden 2, Gabrielson, Criswell, Vaudreuil. 2B - Toepke, Cherry, Kolden 2, Gabrielson. 3B - English, Garza. HR - Hicks, Sumner (3), Richards (1).