STATE 2A SOFTBALL: After wild day, St. Maries winds up third

What began in Orofino ended in Lewiston with a third-place finish for the St. Maries Lumberjacks at the state 2A softball tournament on Saturday.

Third-seeded St. Maries began the day by losing 1-0 to top-seeded Malad in a pitchers duel. Then, the Lumberjacks were eliminated by a 6-5 loss to No. 2 West Jefferson, in a game that began in Orofino and, because of lightning and rain, finished at Airport Park in Lewiston.

St. Maries finished 18-5, and its finished matched the program’s best at state in fastpitch. The Lumberjacks also placed third in 2018 and 2005 — three years before current coach Todd Bitterman took over.

“Getting down there and accomplishing what we did — yeah, I’m pleased,” Bitterman said.

Malad went on to beat West Jefferson 12-4 for the Dragons’ third straight state title.

Malad 1, St. Maries 0: Freshman Riglee Peterson struck out 14 in a one-hitter for the Dragons. Junior Taci Watkins fanned 11 and allowed four hits for the Lumberjacks.

Watkins had St. Maries’ lone hit, a two-out single in the fourth.

The game’s lone run scored in the first inning, when Malad’s Kaitlyn Pickett led off with a single, and later scored on a throwing error.

“Great games; we just didn’t string a bunch of hits together,” Bitterman said.

West Jefferson 6, St. Maries 5: There were two out in the bottom of the sixth when the game was stopped due to lighting.

Teams were sent to their buses — a brief attempt to bring them back to the field was halted by more lightning.

Finally after about an hour and a half on the bus, rain made the fields in Orofino unplayable. Tourney organizers called up to Lewiston and found that Airport Park was dry, so the teams trekked some 45 miles north and finished the game.

In the top of the seventh, St. Maries got a player to third with one out, but could not score the tying run.

Freshman Addyson Stewart was 2 for 4 with a two-run double in the fourth inning for St. Maries. Junior Berkli McGreal’s RBI single pulled the Lumberjacks within 5-4.

West Jefferson took the lead with a four-run third inning, two of the runs scoring on bunts.

“They bunted us to death,” Bitterman said.

Watkins struck out eight for St. Maries. Junior Jordyn Torgerson fanned 11 for West Jefferson.

MALAD 1, ST. MARIES 0

St. Maries 000 000 0 — 0 1 1

Malad 100 000 x — 1 4 0

Taci Watkins and Addyson Stewart; Riglee Peterson and Kaitlyn Pickett.

HITS: SM — Watkins. Malad — Pickett, Horsley, Peterson, Willie.

WEST JEFFERSON 6, ST. MARIES 5

St. Maries 100 301 0 — 5 9 0

W. Jefferson 104 100 x — 6 6 8

Taci Watkins and Addyson Stewart; Jordyn Torgerson and Trinity Smith.

HITS: SM — Stewart 2, McGreal, Watkins, Sande, Sloper 2, Asbury, Elliott. WJ — Mecham 2, Torgerson 3, Neville. 2B — Stewart, Elliott, Mecham.