SANDPOINT — The North Idaho Lakers 16U experienced the entire range of emotions that baseball has to offer, first staving off the Prairie Cardinals in a loser-out game before their season came to an end against the Orofino Merchants on Saturday afternoon at the 16U Division B state tournament.

North Idaho 9 

Prairie 8 

SANDPOINT — “Brent, just get on base, because Noah’s going to score you.” 

That was the confident statement made by North Idaho assistant coach Eric Burk before the Lakers got their chance to bat in a tied ballgame in the bottom of the seventh and keep their season alive at Pine Street Field. Just moments before, the Lakers had let their mental mistakes get the best of them, giving up an 8-4 lead. 

Call it confidence or call it prophecy; Burk was spot-on. Brent Worley worked a five-pitch walk, and one batter later, Noah Langlois scorched a line drive past the third baseman to score him, earning the walk-off win and extending their season. 

“I’m just proud of these boys,” Lakers head coach Travis Tyler said. “Yes, we had that Sandpoint inning that we’ve been talking about, but they were able to check themselves, clear their minds, and come back and win it.” 

Tyler said Worley was the key to that sequence because of his ability to steal bases all game. Worley ended the game with four stolen bags, including one in the bottom of the seventh that moved him into scoring position.  

The first player to meet Worley after he touched home was Cy Marshall, who starred in his own right against Prairie. Marshall was handed the most precarious situation of the day in the fourth inning, with the bases loaded and the Lakers holding onto a narrow lead, 5-3. 

Though he threw two balls to begin the crucial at-bat, Marshall recovered to induce a groundout and get his team out of the jam. Again, in the seventh, he was able to battle through adversity and prevent the game from getting away from North Idaho. 

Tyler said before the tournament that working on Marshall’s positive mindset on the mound was one of his areas of growth. He added he had 100% confidence that Marshall would come through in those moments on Saturday. 

“Just knowing that my team needed me and I’ve not done what I needed to do that a lot in the past. So, I needed to really make it up to them,” Marshall said. “I really want to go further in this tournament with this team and players.” 

Drake Burk and Karsen Garvin were once again the engines of North Idaho’s offense, both notching 3-for-3 days and a double each. The team rallied for 13 hits on the day, with Worley and Langlois also totaling a multi-hit game. 

For Prairie, the ending was pure heartbreak as they had battled all the way back to tie it after being down five runs to open the final frame. Cardinals’ coach Luke Roberts said the team fought the entire game, just like in its 13-12 loss to the Idaho Falls Tigers on Friday, and that spoke to the team’s heart. 

“The connection they have with each other, they’re really interested in picking each other up, spending time, you can see they’re playing around as we speak,” Roberts said. “They’re always picking each other up and trying to move onto the next play.” 

The loss ended the Cardinals’ summer season, but Roberts said the coaching staff couldn’t have been prouder of the way they played in the tournament. 

“We love them, we’re super proud of the effort, the whole weekend, like they grinded the whole time,” Roberts said. “It was one where everybody gave it their all.” 

Prairie           101 100  5 — 8   7  3 

North Idaho  122 102  1 — 9 13  2 

PITCHING 

NI: Worley: 3.2IP, 0H, 3R (3ER), 10BB, 6K. Marshall: 3.1IP, 7H, 5R (4ER), 2BB, 3K. PC — Holding: 5.0IP, 10H, 6R (5ER), 3BB, 8K. Anello: 1.1IP, 3H, 3R (3ER), 3BB, 2K. 

HITTING 

NI: Garvin 3, Burk 3, Worley 2, Langlois 2, Buday 1, Loosier 1, Thompson 1. 2B — Worley 1, Garvin 1, Thompson 1. PC — Anello 2, McGillen 2, Trueman 1, Holding 1, Palmer 1. 2B — Anello 1. RBIs: NI: Langlois 2, Worley 1, Burk 1, Loosier 1, Thompson 1. PC — Anello 2, Holding 1, Fitzpatrick 1, Still 1. 

Orofino 9 

North Idaho 4 

SANDPOINT — North Idaho controlled its first two games of the tournament with early hits leading to runs on the board. However, on Saturday afternoon, the Orofino Merchants B 16U immediately took control and never relinquished it at War Memorial Field.

Just four batters into the game, Orofino was on the board. In the second inning, the Merchants continued to jump on Lakers starter Karsen Garvin, running up their lead to 5-0 by the time North Idaho had gathered six outs. 

Meanwhile, North Idaho spent the first three innings looking for a spark and struggling to find its way around Orofino’s starter Kade Beauregard. North Idaho found it in the form of a single from Noah Langlois. Garvin continued his hot streak at the plate with a double to center field to break the ice, but the momentum was short-lived. 

“Our bats finally caught up to us, and the hits we were getting in the first two games, we didn’t get very many of them in this one,” Tyler said. “I said we were going to go for a run, and I was hoping our run wouldn’t end today, but these boys played with heart, and that’s all I can ask.” 

Langlois took over for Garvin after the fourth inning and slowed the Merchants’ attack. However, mental mistakes reappeared in the field, and walks kept things moving on the basepaths for Orofino, and the Merchants extended their lead to 9-1 in the top of the sixth. 

A three-run last gasp from North Idaho was led by Brent Worley and Cy Marshall, but it was too little too late, and the Lakers saw their season come to a close with a 5-18-1 record. 

Tyler said he believes his Lakers did surprise a bunch of people at the tournament, which was their goal heading into it. He added that he’ll remember this team for their laughter and the fun they’ve had together throughout the summer season. 

“Whether they’re playing for Bonners, Priest River or Sandpoint, they’re going to learn from this,” Tyler said. “They’re going to go back to their team, and they’re going to become the leaders I know that they can be.” 

Orofino        230 121 0 — 9   14    0 

North Idaho 000 103 0 — 4     6    0 

PITCHING 

NI — Garvin: 4.0IP, 8H, 6R (6ER), 8BB, 4K. Langlois: 3.0IP, 6H, 4R (4ER), 5BB, 2K. OM — Beauregard: 5.1IP, 2H, 4R (4ER), 4BB, 7K. Waters: 1.2IP, 4H, 0R, 2BB, 1K. 

HITTING 

NI — Langlois 2, Worley 1, Garvin 1, Wholschlager 1, Burrows 1. 2B — Garvin 1. OM — Tondevold 3, Lundgren 2, Ketola 2, Nadiger 2, Schoo 1, Pardue 1, Beauregard 1, Bushey 1, Waters 1. 2B — Ketola 1, Nadiger 1, Tondevold 1. 3B — Lundgren RBIs: NI — Garvin 2, Wholschalger 1. OM — Tondevold 2, Lundgren 2, Ketola 2, Nadiger 1, Pardue 1, Beauregard 1.

    Prairie Cardinals' Lincoln Holding loads up a pitch against the North Idaho Lakers during the American Legion State Tournament on Saturday. The Cardinals fell 9-8 in the game, ending their summer season.
  

    North Idaho Lakers' pitcher Cy Marshall celebrates after earning a strikeout against the Prairie Cardinals on Saturday. Marshall delivered three and one-third innings and three strikeouts in the Lakers' victory.