McDonald throws complete game, drives in winning run

RATHDRUM — Jack McDonald started the game — and finished it, in more ways than one — for the Northern Lakes Mountaineers on Friday.

McDonald pitched a complete game, and singled in the winning run with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning as class A Northern Lakes edged the class AA Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen 2-1 at Lakeland High’s Terry Gorton Memorial Field.

The lefty throwing McDonald threw 40 pitches in three innings and struck out seven for Northern Lakes on Wednesday in a 12-2 victory over the Spokane Expos in the first game of a doubleheader at Lakeland High.

“I felt great all day,” said McDonald, a Timberlake High grad who has signed to play at Community Colleges of Spokane. “I’ve played against those guys several times, and have always done well, so I was super confident going in.”

On Friday, he threw 117 pitches in seven innings, struck out eight, allowed three hits and walked three.

“Jack, we kept him at a pitch count (on Wednesday); I want his arm to be fresh when he’s in college,” Northern Lakes coach Bryce Johnson said.

“I thought McDonald pitched really well on one day’s rest,” Coeur d’Alene coach Paul Manzardo said. “He kept us off-balance. He has a little different delivery, kinda herky jerky, and we didn’t put too much pressure on him. I tip my hat to him.”

Sam Pemberton, the No. 7 hitter, led off the bottom of the seventh with a double for Northern Lakes (16-5), and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Lums reliever Landen Thompson recorded a strikeout. Scott Pote reached on a fielder’s choice, but shortstop Dylan Brum of the Lums (10-9-1) dived to his left to snare Pote’s bouncer up the middle, holding Pemberton at third. Thompson came up with another strikeout before McDonald, the leadoff hitter, bounced a sharp single up the middle — just out of the reach of the diving Brum — to score Pemberton and win the game.

“We got dudes at the bottom of the lineup,” McDonald said. “As it happened, it came down to me, and I’ve been there plenty of times — we’ve walked five or six games off this year.”

McDonald finished 2 for 4.

“Jack, he’s my big-game guy; he lives for those moments,” Johnson said. “Jack is a kid that thrives under pressure. I knew if we got to him, he’d give us a chance to win it.”

The Lums scored in the top of the first when Riley Smith singled in Quinn Conces.

The Mountaineers tied it in the second when Ray Knerr’s sacrifice fly scored Trevor Vandever.

“I thought Troy Shepard pitched a great game for us,” Manzardo said of the lefty, who struck out five in five innings. “That was a great game; I’m just glad we’re still playing.”

Last Sunday, Area A officials shut down Legion baseball in North Idaho due to positive COVID-19 tests with some of the teams. But Coeur d’Alene, Northern Lakes and Prairie have opted to continue playing as independents.

Coeur d’Alene plays host to the Spokane Expos on Sunday in a 10 a.m. doubleheader at Thorco Field.

Northern Lakes returns to action Sunday, playing Coeur d’Alene’s “A” team at 3 p.m. and Coeur d’Alene’s “AA” team at 5:30, both at Lakeland High.

Cd’A 100 000 0 — 1 3 2

N. Lakes 010 000 1 — 2 8 0

2 out when winning run scored.

Troy Shepard, Landen Thompson (6) and Jackson Scherr; Jack McDonald and Colton Aragon. W — McDonald. L — Thompson.

HITS: Cd’A — Scherr, Smith, Brum. NL — McDonald 2, Powell, Taylor 2, Pemberton 2, Pote. 2B — Pemberton, Pote.