SANDPOINT — An offensive explosion from Drake Burk and Karsen Garvin wasn’t enough to save the North Idaho Lakers 16U in a rain-shortened contest on Friday, dropping the game 11-9 to the Northern Lakes Mountaineers 16U.

The game opened the Battle at the Beach tournament and was delayed by 30 minutes, only allowing three and a half innings of play before it ran up against the clock. The Lakers got off to a hot start, thanks to Noah Langlois, who walked and then stole third and home to become the first of four runs scored by North Idaho to open the game. 

Burk knocked in his first two runs in the first inning as well, on a double to left field. Burk finished the day 2-2 with three RBIs. Garvin was the other multi-RBI hitter on the day, hitting 2-3 with a double and two RBIs. 

"They were seeing the ball, and they were hitting it hard. They were putting it where they weren’t,” Lakers Head Coach Travis Tyler said. “They were making great contact, some of it was to people, but others were where we wanted it. 

On the mound, it was smooth sailing for Burk in the first inning, striking a batter out looking and getting two pop-ups to hold the Mountaineers scoreless. However, in the second, things began to fall apart as Northern Lakes loaded the bases and finished off a seven-run second inning with a bases-clearing triple from Austin Smith. 

Burk finished his day on the bump, throwing 1.2 innings, striking out one and allowing two hits but giving up six runs. 

The Lakers’ offense found its footing in the third, driving in four runs thanks to Burk, Garvin and Langlois. Northern Idaho had the bases loaded with two outs, but a fielder’s choice ended the inning, leaving three runs stranded.  

Wyatt Buday came in relief of Burk and threw 1.0 innings, giving up four hits and walking four with one strikeout. Gavin Riley’s single with two outs in the third off Buday proved to be the winning run for the Mountaineers as the Lakers were held scoreless in the top of the fourth before the game was called due to time. 

"We were just up and down,” Tyler said. “They would get up, and then they got right back down on themselves. It’s hard to win when you’re fighting another team, and you’re fighting yourselves.” 

The Lakers are back in action Saturday afternoon for the second game of the Battle at the Beach tournament at War Memorial Field. North Idaho is set to face the Prairie Cardinal Legion White squad at 3 p.m. 

"We’ve already seen Prairie two or three times, I’m just hoping we can take it to them, full throttle and not let up,” Tyler said. “Just get the normal Laker baseball team back.” 

North Idaho 4 1 4 0 — 9 10 2 

Northern Lakes 0 7 4 X — 11 7 3 

PITCHING 

NI — Burk: 1.2IP, 2H, 6R (2ER), 5BB, 1K. Buday: 1.0IP, 4H, 5R (5ER), 4BB, 1K. Marshall: 0.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K. NL — Riley: 2.2IP, 9H, 9R (8ER), 3BB, 2K. Herbig: 1.1IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 0K. 

BATTING 

HITS: NI — Garvin 2, Burk 2, Langlois 1, Burt 1, Marshall 1, Buday, 1, Wholschlager 1, Loosier 1. 2B — Burk 1, Garvin 1, Buday 1. NL — Ward 2, Linder 2, Riley 1, Knight 1, Smith 1. 2B — Ward 1. 3B — Smith 1. RBI: NI — Burk 3, Garvin 2, Langlois 1, Buday 1. NL — Smith 3, Ward 2, Riley 2, Emerson 1, Herbig 1,  Linder 1.