MISSOULA, Mont. — The Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen nearly brought home a championship in their first outing of the season under first-year Lums coach Darren Taylor.

But the Helena Senators scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Lumbermen 9-8 in the championship game of the Missoula Mavericks Memorial Day Tournament on Monday at Ogren Park.

“We battled our hearts out,” Taylor said. “End of our pitching staff, and everybody played great.”

Coeur d’Alene (2-3) threatened in the top of the eighth. With a runner on second, Marcus Manzardo hit a line drive that would have given the Lums the lead, but the Helena centerfielder ran it down.

The Senators then took advantage of a couple of errors in the bottom of the eighth to capture the title.

“We had ‘em,” Taylor said.

Manzardo finished 2 for 5 with two runs scored for Coeur d’Alene. Jackson Scherr went 2 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored, and Liam Paddack and Ryan Schneider each drove in a pair of runs.

Cooper Erickson struck out four in 4 1/3 innings for the Lums, and Scherr fanned three in 2 1/3 innings of relief.

“Cooper Erickson was awesome,” Taylor said. “Jackson Scherr, he was spot on. He didn’t throw very well the other day, but today, they couldn’t touch him.

“He just settled down. He was just thinking about mechanics, because he hasn’t pitched in many games. I said you’re an athlete, just think of it as a catcher throwing to second, or a third baseman throwing to first. Just be an athlete, find a target and hit it.”

Coeur d’Alene totaled 58 hits in five games in three days on an unusually warm Memorial Day weekend in Missoula.

“Last night and today, we learned that we’re going to be able to round out that pitching staff nicely,” Taylor said of the weekend. “Owen Benson, Cooper Erickson, Jackson Scherr all threw really well. Couple them up with Liam (Paddack) and Troy (Shepard) and Ryan (Schneider), we should be able to do a good job navigating the summer.”

Coeur d’Alene plays host to the Spokane Cannons on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Thorco Field in the Lums’ home opener.

Coeur d’Alene 200 131 10 — 8 14 5

Helena 001 223 01 — 9 12 0

2 out when winning run scored.

Cooper Erickson, LJ Davey (5), Jackson Scherr (6) and Joe DuCoeur; V. Scott, H. Bratcher (3), C. Coate (5) and T. Mooney.

HITS: Cd’A — Zeller, Larson, Manzardo 2, Scherr 2, Paddack, Bridge, Schneider, DuCoeur 2, Garza, A. Taylor. Hel — Burton, Bratcher 2, Keintz 3, Thennis 2, Hurlbert, Mooney 3. 2B — Schneider, Manzardo, Bratcher, Burton, Keintz. 3B — DuCoeur, Keintz.