COEUR d’ALENE — The Prairie Cardinals and Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen must have wanted to play under the lights longer Wednesday night at Thorco Field in Coeur d’Alene. The Lumbermen swept the doubleheader against the Cardinals in the North Idaho League opener for both teams, with the second game going nine innings.

Coeur d’Alene’s Clayton Carter hit a walk-off single with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to give the Lumbermen the 5-4 win in the second game.

“Cody Garza actually hit a home run I thought, but I think he was the real hero,” Carter said. “I just kind of blooped one in with the infield in. Got my first hit of the year so that was cool.”

Carter said he was trying to hit a fly ball but he didn’t hit it squarely.

“I was actually trying to hit a fly ball but it hit off the cap, just kind of fluttered in behind the second baseman,” Carter said.

Coeur d’Alene was down 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, but Steve Vaudreuil started the rally by hitting a double to center field.

Parker Gabrielson continued the rally by reaching first base on a strikeout. The pitch got by catcher Jerritt Plunkett and his throw bounced off first baseman Chaz Bailey’s glove as Vaudreuil rounded third and scored the tying run.

The game was thought to be over after Coeur d’Alene’s Cody Garza hit a deep fly ball to right-center field. While the Lumbermen started celebrating thinking it was a home run, the umpires ruled it a double, so Garza went back to second base and Gabrielson went back to third.

“I didn’t see it, but from what I heard, everybody thought it was a home run so I just kind of gathered myself ready to go on deck,” Carter said.

Coeur d’Alene coach Zach Clanton argued the call and was ejected.

“I told them I was less upset with the umpire and more upset at them,” Coeur d’Alene coach Zach Clanton said.

After Jarred Hall was intentionally walked, Carter, who came off the bench and stole two bases and scored in the eighth inning, came through again with the walk-off hit.

“The first one was a heart attack,” Clanton said about Carter’s first stolen base. “Definitely wasn’t called by any means. I was actually pretty mad about that one. The one at third was a very heads up play.”

Prairie led 2-1 after two innings of play during the second game. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh inning, when Gabrielson hit a sacrifice fly to right field and Vaudreuil scored to send the game to extra innings.

“That was pretty good to see us go out and compete like that,” Prairie coach Brian Fowler said. “Jake Elliott, I thought he threw a heck of a game for us. Dalton made a couple nice plays for us at shortstop. I thought our team battled the whole way. I mean it’s a tough one to lose but definitely I was happy with their performance.”

Coeur d’Alene’s Connor Cardinel pitched into the eighth inning to earn the win for the Lumbermen. Vaudreuil entered the game in the eighth inning and finished the game.

“It’s nice to know that we have that in our back pocket, but we’d be pretty lethal when both are on at the same time,” Clanton said.

In the first game, the Lumbermen didn’t have to breathe as hard as they won 8-3. Coeur d’Alene started fast with three runs in the bottom of the first. Plunkett answered with a solo home run, his first of the season. Coeur d’Alene added two more runs in the third inning, one in the fourth and two in the fifth to extend its lead. Devin Kluss earned the win on the mound after tossing five innings. He left the game because of health reasons. Gabrielson relieved Kluss in the top of the sixth inning with no outs.

Coeur d’Alene (7-0, 2-0 North Idaho League) will play at the Wenatchee Invitational starting on Friday. Prairie (0-6, 0-2 NIL) will host the Spokane Expos’ 16-U team on Monday at Post Falls High.

FIRST GAME

Prairie 010 110 0 — 3 8 2

Coeur d’Alene 302 120 X — 8 5 1

Jared Porter, Gage Wark (5) and Jerritt Plunkett; Devin Kluss, Parker Gabrielson (6) and Reilly Cherry. W — Kluss. L — Porter.

HITS: Pra — Lebsock 2, Elliott, Bailey 2, Benson, Lozier, Plunkett. Cd’A — Garza 2, Kluss, Slusser, Criswell. 2B — Slusser. 3B — Garza. HR — Plunkett (1).

SECOND GAME

Prairie 020 000 011 — 4 8 3

Coeur d’Alene 100 000 112 — 5 11 2

One out when winning run scored.

Jacob Elliott, Dalton Lozier (7) and Jerritt Plunkett; Connor Cardinel, Steve Vaudreuil (8) and Grant Wade, Reilly Cherry (5). W — Vaudreuil. L — Lozier.

HITS: Pra — Lebsock, Bailey 2, Benson 2, Lozier, Plunkett, Porter. Cd’A — Vaudreuil 2, Gabrielson, Garza 2, Hall, Conigliaro 2, Carter, Slusser, Nosworthy. 2B — Vaudreuil 2, Gabrielson, Garza.