LEGION BASEBALL: Lums' Shepard tosses no-hitter vs. Cannons

COEUR d’ALENE — Troy Shepard struck out 15 and pitched a no-hitter as the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen “AA” squad beat the Spokane Cannons 4-0 on Thursday night at Thorco Field.

Shepard, a left-hander from Coeur d’Alene High who redshirted this spring at Community Colleges of Spokane, allowed just three batters to reach base — all on walks.

He struck out five of the first six batters he faced, and seven of the first nine. He walked back-to-back hitters with two out in the fourth, but no one got past second base. He walked a third batter in the seventh — then picked him off for the second out.

“Troy was phenomenal,” Coeur d’Alene coach Darren Taylor said. “He completely dominated. He just pounds the zone — he throws three pitches exactly where he wants to.”

Coeur d’Alene (4-2) tallied all its runs in the first three innings.

Ryan Schneider delivered an RBI single in the first inning.

Kyle Bridge tripled in a run in the third, then scored on a fielder’s choice by Schneider. Spencer Zeller, who was hit by a pitch, scored the final run on a bases-loaded walk.

Other than Shepard’s performance, Taylor said he thought the team “phoned it in” in its first outing since winning the Missoula Mavericks Memorial Day Tournament on Monday.

“Hopefully it’s a lesson learned; every game is as important as the last game,” he said.

Coeur d’Alene plays the Yakima Pepsi Beetles tonight at 8 in Medical Lake, as part of a tournament hosted by Colfax and Medical Lake. The Lums will play two games in Colfax on Saturday; the tourney concludes Sunday.

Cannons 000 000 0 — 0 0 0

Coeur d’Alene 103 000 x — 4 6 0

J. Oliver, I. Nessbitt (3), J. Draper (6) and A. Roberts; Troy Shepard and Ethan Taylor.

HITS: Can — none. Cd’A — Bridge 2, Schneider 2, C. Erickson, E. Taylor. 2B — E. Taylor. 3B — Bridge.