CLASS AA

COEUR d’ALENE — On Monday, after a setback to three-time state champion Idaho Falls, the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen got refreshed and went back to work.

By Thursday, all that fuel the Lumbermen had spent fighting back, finally hit empty.

After beating the Pocatello Runnin’ Rebels 6-4 in the first state AA American Legion baseball championship game, the Lumbermen were held to two hits in the if-necessary game, falling 10-0 in five innings to finish runner-up at Thorco Field.

Coeur d’Alene, which eliminated Idaho Falls 5-1 late Wednesday, was led in the first game on Thursday by Nolan Christ, who hit a two-run home run to give the Lums a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

“We’ve been dealing with Idaho Falls in the last few years, and I don’t know if that loss just fueled us some more,” DuCoeur said. “But we had to play good, clean baseball and our pitching was great throughout the tournament to play the best ball.”

Coeur d’Alene eliminated the Nampa Chiefs on Tuesday, then beat Lewis-Clark on Wednesday to continue on in the tournament.

“I think we’re just fighters,” DuCoeur said. “It doesn’t matter what time we’ve got to play. We’ve got to come out and play our best ball and compete to the best we can.”

DuCoeur, a Lake City High graduate, helped the Timberwolves to a runner-up finish in the state 5A tournament in May in Caldwell.

“We’re really good at getting second place this year unfortunately,” DuCoeur said. “At least it’s not anything worse. It hurts being second, but it’s also a blessing to get so far in the tournament.”

“It was a draining game last night and one of the best games we’ve had in program history,” said third-year Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen coach Darren Taylor, who played on the Lums last regional team in 1979. “To come back and jump on these guys in that first game shows what we’re made of. We just had too many games to win to get back. We just had too much to overcome.”

Pocatello advances to the Northwest Regional tournament in Gillette, Wyo., Aug. 2-6.

It is Pocatello’s first state title since 1986 according to coach Nick Sorrell, who also coached the team to a title in the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

“We’ve got to do things the hard way,” Sorrell said. “And it’s been that way in every single game and tournament we’ve been in. We’ve always had that one game where that happens, and that’s baseball. But I’m proud of these guys for bouncing back and really finishing it.”

POCATELLO 10, COEUR d’ALENE 0, 5 INN.

Coeur d’Alene 000 00 — 0 2 4

Pocatello 223 21 — 10 12 1

AJ Currie, Travis Usdrowski (2), Karl Schwarzer (3), Kyle Seman (4) and Joe DuCoeur; Alex Winn and Gunner Wilhelm.

HITS: Cd’A — Bumbaugh, Erickson. Poc — Vaughan 2, Davis 2, Serrano 2, Wilhelm 2, Evans 3, Blackhawk, Burch. 2B — Davis.

COEUR d’ALENE 6, POCATELLO 4

Coeur d’Alene 040 002 0 — 6 8 2

Pocatello 020 002 0 — 4 6 2

CJ Elliott, Travis Usdrowski (6) and Joe DuCoeur; McCadden Evans, Cody Mortenson (6) and Gunner Wilhelm.

HITS: Cd’A — DuCoeur, Bumbaugh, Brown 2, Benson, Taylor, Christ 2. Poc — Serrano, Wilhelm, Foltz, Winn, Burch 2. 2B — Taylor. HR — Christ.

CLASS A

Cd’A Lumbermen 6

Owyhee Rivercats 1

NAMPA — Noah Hawkins had an RBI single and scored in the first inning for the Lumbermen, who beat the Owyhee Rivercats in a second round game of the state A American Legion tournament at Rodeo Park.

Charlie Dixon allowed four hits and struck out five in six innings for Coeur d’Alene (28-8), which faces JNS Baseball today at 3 p.m.

Owyhee 000 010 0 — 1 5 0

Coeur d’Alene 202 002 x — 6 6 1

Fine, Hall (6) and Hall, Martel (6); Charlie Dixon, Hudson Kramer (7) and Tanner Franklin.

HITS: OR — Uranga, Fine 3, Hall. Cd’A — Coey, Hawkins 2, Holecek 2, Robson. 2B — Fine, Robson. 3B — Hawkins.

JNS Baseball 15

Northern Lakes 8

NAMPA — Caleb Mason, Grant Allaway and Jace Cooksey drove in two runs each for the Mountaineers, who fell to JNS Baseball of Idaho Falls in a second round game in the state A tournament at Rodeo Park.

Northern Lakes (27-12) will face the Minico Storm, a 10-2 winner against Layton of Blackfoot.

JNS Baseball 400 065 0 — 15 9 3

Northern Lakes 102 203 0 — 8 8 6

Stuart, Reilly (4), Hawker (6), Hunter (7) and Christensen; Kenny Wells, Raiston Ellwood (5), Grant Allaway (5), Cooper Lenz (6), Andrew Horn (6) and Jace Cooksey.

HITS: JNS — Ferguson, Morales 3, Westergard, Hall 2, Christensen, Sorenson. NL — R. Ellwood 2, Mason, Horn, Allaway, Cooksey 2, Wells. 2B — Ferguson, Hall, Horn, Allaway.

CLASS AA STATE LEGION BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

At Thorco Field, Coeur d'Alene

Monday's Game

Idaho Falls Bandits 5, Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen 2

Tuesday's Games

Pocatello Runnin' Rebels 10, Nampa Chiefs 5

Idaho Falls Bandits 11, Lewis-Clark Twins 1

Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen 12, Nampa Chiefs 0, 4 innings, Nampa eliminated

Wednesday's Games

Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen 4, Lewis-Clark Twins 3, Lewis-Clark eliminated

Pocatello Runnin' Rebels 12, Idaho Falls Bandits 2, semifinals

Coeur d'Alene 5, Idaho Falls 1, Idaho Falls eliminated

Thursday's Games

Coeur d'Alene 6, Pocatello 4

Pocatello (35-9) 10, Coeur d'Alene (24-16) 0, 5 innings (championship game)

STATE A LEGION BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

At Rodeo Park, Nampa

Wednesday’s Games

Owyhee Rivercats 3, Blackfoot 2

Northern Lakes 3, Idaho Falls Bruins 1

Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen 6, Minico Storm 5

Idaho Falls JNS Baseball 6, Nampa Braves 5

Thursday’s Games

Minico 10, Blackfoot 2, Blackfoot eliminated

Idaho Falls Bruins 24, Nampa Braves 5, Nampa eliminated

Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen 6, Owyhee Rivercats 1

Idaho Falls JNS Baseball 15, Northern Lakes 8

Friday’s Games

Game 9 — Idaho Falls Bruins (26-14) vs. Owyhee Rivercats (26-4), 9 a.m.

Game 10 — Minico Storm (28-7) vs. Northern Lakes (27-12), noon

Game 11 — Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen (28-8) vs. Idaho Falls JNS Baseball (23-14), 3 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Game 12 — Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 9 a.m.

Game 13 — Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, noon.

Sunday’s Games

Game 14 — Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 9 a.m.

Game 15 — Loser Game 14 vs. Winner Game 14, noon (if necessary)