COEUR d’ALENE — The young Lake City Timberwolves were three outs away from an impressive comeback victory over the Coeur d’Alene Vikings in the first game of an Inland Empire League softball doubleheader.

But host Coeur d’Alene scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, capped by Catherine Bakken’s two-run double, to pull out a 9-8 victory over Lake City at Larry Schwenke Field.

Coeur d’Alene then beat Lake City 16-3 in five innings in the nightcap for the sweep which moved the Vikings (11-2, 8-2 IEL) into sole possession of first place in the league.

“The first game we came out flat; I don’t know if the girls thought it would be an easy win, or what,” Coeur d’Alene coach Bobbi Darretta said. “They didn’t play as united as I wanted, and the game was way too close for my liking. So we decided the next game we were going to come out and have energy, show them why we want to be No. 1, why we want to stay No. 1.”

In the first game, Lake City (4-10, 3-5) chipped away at a 6-0 Coeur d’Alene lead with a run in the fifth and three in the sixth. With one out in the seventh, Jenna Glenn bounced a two-run single to center field to give the Timberwolves a 7-6 lead, then scored on Kylee Palmer’s double to make it 8-6.

In the Viking seventh, Alexis Blankenship and Delaney Gosch singled. Matea Dorame singled in a run, and she and Gosch moved up to second and third on the throw.

Bakken, a junior, lined a shot to left center to score Gosch and Dorame to win the game.

“I basically looked at them (prior to the bottom of the seventh) and said, ‘You guys don’t play to anybody else’s level — you play to our level, no matter who’s out there,’” Darretta said. “I said stay loose and make contact, hits are contagious, and that’s what happened.”

“I’m super proud of my kids, the way they battled,” Lake City coach Jesse Lenz said. “I am so proud of the way they battled from down 6-0, back to an 8-6 lead, and we honestly hadn’t been in that situation, with the lead in the bottom of the seventh. So we can take those things, and learn from them, and grow. And I really liked our approaches at the plate; I really feel like we grew a lot today.”

In the second game, Dorame went 3 for 4 with two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored, Skylar Burke was 4 for 4 and scored four times, Blankenship was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and four runs scored, and Kristine Schmidt struck out six and scattered three hits in five innings for Coeur d’Alene.

“I think the girls realized they didn’t like that,” Darretta said of the way the first game unfolded. “It was too stressful, and they knew they should have done better than they did. I didn’t really say anything at the end of the game; they were just telling each other what they expect out of (the program).”

“We put a lot into that first game … and maybe we came out flat, and that’s on me,” Lenz said. “We’re still trying things, and looking for things, and with the short bench we still have to grow and develop and put people in positions to grow, and that’s kinda where we’re at.”

Coeur d’Alene holds a slim lead over Post Falls (12-4, 9-3) for first place in the IEL. Lewiston is in third at 8-5, 5-3.

On Tuesday, Lake City plays host to Post Falls in an IEL doubleheader. Coeur d’Alene is next scheduled to play host to Moscow next Saturday in a league twinbill.

FIRST GAME

Lake City 000 013 4 — 8 12 0

Coeur d’Alene 123 000 3 — 9 12 2

0 out when winning run scored.

Kylee Palmer and Hope Bodak; Kristine Schmidt and Delaney Gosch.

HITS: LC — Bodak, Hill 2, Gugino, Clevenger, Glenn 2, Wullenwaber 2, Palmer 2, Chavez. Cd’A — S. Burke, Blankenship, Gosch, Dorame 2, Bakken, McPhedran-Torres 2, Schmidt 2, C. Burke 2. 2B — Chavez, Palmer, C. Burke, Bakken, Schmidt, Dorame. 3B — McPhedran-Torres.

SECOND GAME

Lake City 100 20 — 3 3 4

Coeur d’Alene 254 5x — 16 14 2

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

HITS: LC — Pickford, Glenn, Wullenwaber. Cd’A — S. Burke 4, Blankenship 3, Dorame 3, Bakken 2, Schmidt, C. Burke. 2B — Pickford, Dorame 2, Blankenship 2, Bakken 2.

Lakeland 10-4

Moscow 8-15

RATHDRUM — The host Hawks rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of the opener, before the Bears won the second game in five innings for the split of the IEL doubleheader.

In the opener, Payton Sterling’s two-run single pulled Lakeland (6-8, 3-5 IEL) within 8-7 in the sixth. Cienna Walls’ RBI double tied it at 8, and a groundout and error brought in the next two runs.

Olivia Staudinger hit a three-run homer in the second inning of the opener for Lakeland.

Walls’ solo shot in the fifth put the Hawks up 5-4.

Moscow scored four times in the top of the sixth before Lakeland rallied.

In the second game, Kelly Stodick struck out six and scattered five hits for Moscow (5-9-1, 2-6), which is one game behind Lakeland in the race for the top seed to the 4A Region 1 tournament.

Amanda Pouchnik hit a three-run homer in the third inning for the Bears, and finished 3 for 5 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Megan Highfill hit a two-run homer in the second.

Harley See hit a two-run homer in the fifth for Lakeland, and finished 3 for 3 with two runs scored. Sterling hit a two-run shot in the first for the Hawks.

Lakeland travels to Lewiston on Tuesday for an IEL doubleheader.

FIRST GAME

Moscow 200 114 0 — 8 15 5

Lakeland 031 015 x — 10 9 2

Maya Kees and unknown; Emma Avalos and Payton Sterling.

HITS: Mos — Newlan, Highfill 2, Kiblen 2, Robertson 3, Branen 3, Fleischman 3, Stodick. LL — Sterling 2, Avalos, Walls 2, Byrne, Dyer, Staudinger 2. 2B — Fleischman, Kiblen, Newlan, Walls, Staudinger, Dyer. HR — Fleischman, Walls, Staudinger.

SECOND GAME

Moscow 323 52 — 15 13 0

Lakeland 200 02 — 4 5 2

Game called after 5 innings due to 10-run rule.

Kelly Stodick and unknown; Emma Avalos, Aubry Goncalves (3) and Payton Sterling.

HITS: Mos — Pouchnik 3, Highfill 2, Robertson 2, Branen 2, Fleishman 2, Sparks, Stodick. LL — See 3, Sterling, Dyer.