LEGION BASEBALL: Lums notch key win over Yakima Valley

COEUR d’ALENE — For Coeur d’Alene to get where it wants to go on the baseball field this season, the Lums are going to need some big wins in big moments.

Tuesday afternoon might have been one.

Troy Shepard struck out 10, allowing three hits as the Lumbermen "AA" team beat the Yakima Valley Pepsi Pak 4-1 at Thorco Field.

Coeur d’Alene opened the scoring on a two-run double by Ryan Schneider in the first inning, followed by an RBI single by Joe DuCoeur. Austin Taylor and Ethan Taylor exchanged doubles in the sixth for the Lums' final run.

Yakima Valley put its first two hitters on base in the fifth, scoring on a fielder's choice to make it 3-1.

“Joe and Ryan had some big hits in the first inning to get us going,” Coeur d’Alene coach Darren Taylor said. “They were coming back a little and the Taylors (no relation) came through with a big insurance run for us.”

Shepard struck out four of the final six hitters in the game.

“Troy threw a masterpiece,” Darren Taylor said. “He was battling, throwing the ball hard and really hitting his spots. He got into a little bit of trouble in the fifth with his back against the wall, but got out of it.”

Yakima Valley, which beat Coeur d’Alene 14-4 on June 17 in Yakima, has advanced to the Northwest Regional tournament the past three seasons.

“We thought we had to prove to ourselves that we had to beat one of these elite teams,” Darren Taylor said. “We knew we had the talent, and now we know we can do it when we have to.”

Coeur d’Alene (17-7) opens play in the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Wood Bat Tournament at Thorco Field on Friday against the Knights at 4:30 p.m., then will face Calgary at 7.

Yakima Valley 000 010 0 — 1 3 0

Coeur d’Alene 300 001 x — 4 8 3

Jenkins, Stevenson (5) and Moore; Troy Shepard and Joe DuCoeur.

HITS: YV — Johnson, Froula 2. Cd’A — Zeller, Manzardo, Schneider 2, DuCoeur, Erickson, E. Taylor, A. Taylor. 2B — Johnson, Froula, Zeller, A. Taylor, Schneider, E. Taylor.