PREP BASEBALL: Area schools enter must-win games today

By JASON ELLIOTT 

Sports writer 

POST FALLS — You win some. 

You lose some. 

On Friday, the Trojans gave away one. 

Post Falls, seeded 10th and at state for the first time since 2018, committed five errors, falling 8-5 to the Ridgevue Warhawks of Nampa in the opening game of the state 6A North state regional series at Post Falls HIgh, despite limiting the seventh-seeded Warhawks to two hits. 

“We had nine walks, four hit by pitch, and five errors, and mental errors as well,” Post Falls coach Kurt Reese said. “We outhit them as well, and we didn’t come alive with our energy until the seventh inning, and it was just too little too late there by that time.” 

Post Falls trailed 8-0 entering the top of the seventh before scoring five runs, capped by a three-run home run by Marshall Tomlinson, his third straight game with a home run. 

“It’s like a beach ball to me right now,” Tomlinson said. “We came out a little flat-footed. We knew it was going to be a tough game, especially playing these teams from southern Idaho. We’ve just got to come out and play our game. If we do that, we can compete with anybody.” 

Post Falls (12-10) faces third-seeded Mountain View (19-7) of Meridian in a loser-out game today at 9 a.m. The winner plays Ridgevue at noon, needing to beat the Warhawks twice to advance to next Friday's semifinals.

After beating Post Falls, the Warhawks (14-11) defeated Mountain View 7-5 to advance to the championship game.  

“We’ve had moments this year where we’ve made the moment too big and didn’t step up,” Reese said. “We’re going to see if we can adjust with our backs against the wall.” 

Ridgevue took a 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Logan Hirasaki in the bottom of the second inning, then added two more runs on Trojan errors to take a 4-0 lead. 

The Warhawks extended the advantage to 8-0 on a two-run error in the bottom of the fifth inning. 

“I think it was nerves and not being on this stage before,” Reese said. “Some of them were a little nervous and we didn’t play like we had been playing. But we’ve got to come to an event like this and you can’t give up an inning. We struggled in the middle innings and struggled with mental errors and walks, and it came back to bite us there.” 

Tomlinson and senior Gavin Wienker had two hits each for Post Falls. 

“We’ve got to go out and compete,” Tomlinson said. “One more loss, and we’re out. We’ve got to do it for the team and put it on the line.” 

Post Falls entered state on a 10-game winning streak. 

“When we play clean innings and don’t do it to ourselves, we compete and can win games,” Reese said. “Games like today, when you beat yourself, it makes it tough. Ridgevue came out today and threw strikes and put the ball in play when it mattered and walked away with the victory.” 

Post Falls    000    000    5    —    5    6    5 

Ridgevue    040    220    x    —    8    2    1 

Michael O’Connor, Finley O’Dell (4), Bryce Berger (5), Karl Berend (5) and Marshall Tomlinson, Brandon Felix (6); Hunter Schmittel, Landon Dance (7) and Easton Johnson. 

HITS: PF — Wienker 2, Tomlinson 2, O’Connor, Fitzpatrick. Ridge — Hirasaki, Maurice. HR — Tomlinson. 

Coeur d'Alene wins opener, 

falls to Eagle in second game

EAGLE — Coeur d'Alene, seeded 11th, beat sixth-seeded Rocky Mountain 8-6 in the first round of the 6A West No. 2 state regional series at Eagle High on Friday, then fell 3-1 to the host and third-seeded Mustangs later Friday. 

Coeur d’Alene (10-9) faces Rocky Mountain (14-11) in a loser-out game today at 10 a.m. PDT. Eagle (19-6) advances to the championship game, needing only one win today to advance to the state championship series next Friday and Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Garden City.

In the first game of the day, Coeur d’Alene scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally past the Grizzlies 8-6. 

Bam Fenter singled with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to score Beckett Larson, and Asa Morton scored on an error on the same play as the Vikings took a 7-6 lead. Seth Stevens scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-6 and JD Davenport threw a scoreless bottom of the seventh to close out the win. 

Against Eagle, Colten Nordman singled to score Larson to tie the game at 1-1 in the second inning for Coeur d’Alene.

Junior Evan Robertson, who suffered a torn ACL pitching last summer, made his first appearance of the season for Coeur d'Alene, starting against Eagle and going four innings, allowing one run on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks.

EAGLE 3, COEUR d’ALENE 1 

Coeur d’Alene    010    000    0    —    1    3    2 

Eagle    100    011    x    —    3    6    1 

Evan Robertson, JD Davenport (5) and Colten Nordman; Stephen Egan and Owen Brent. 

HITS: Cd’A — Fenter, Helms, Nordman. Eag — Snooks, Fusco, Gothberg, Brent Ditlove 2. 2B — Ditlove, Brent. 3B — none. 

COEUR d’ALENE 8, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 6 

Coeur d’Alene        010    103    3    —    8    9    0 

Rocky Mountain        002    004    0    —    6    7    3 

Bam Fenter, JD Davenport (6) and Hunter Chambers; Aiden Anderson, Kyle Patterson (6), Jaxson Ellett (7) and Ben Chandler. 

HITS: Cd’A — Fenter 2, Helms 3, Cook, Larson, Chambers 2. RM — Henzler 2, Fuss 2, Ball, Weathers, Frausto. 2B — Fenter, Cook, Frausto, Henzler. 

Fruitland 2 

Timberlake 0 

FRUITLAND — The eighth-seeded Tigers stepped up and took the best top-seeded Grizzlies had to offer, but a two-RBI day for junior Cameron McKinney was the difference in Game 1 of their best-of-3 4A state regional series at Fruitland High. 

Timberlake (15-9) faces Fruitland (20-2) in Game 2 today at 10 a.m. PDT. If Timberlake wins, an if-necessary game begins 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 2. If Fruitland wins, the Grizzlies advance to the state championship series at College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls next Friday and Saturday. 

“I couldn’t be happier with how we competed,” Timberlake coach Bryce Johnson said. “We didn’t come down here afraid of them, and were toe-to-toe with them. We hit the ball, but right at people. They’re solid defensively, and we didn’t find a lot of grass.” 

Ryker Brennan singled leading off the fourth, but was stranded at second base for Timberlake. 

“We played just shy of great defensively, but they were able to squeeze one out and we didn’t,” Johnson said. “We gained a lot today. Our guys know they’re supposed to be here and didn’t back down.” 

Timberlake    000    000    0    —    0    2    3 

Fruitland    010    001    x    —    2    4    0 

Eric Wylie and Gage Haines; Jayden Grosdidier and Sutton Fitch. 

HITS: TL — Brennan, Wylie. Fruit — Grosdidier, McKinney 2, Whaley. 2B — Grosdidier. 

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Post Falls senior Brandon Felix slides into second base as Ridgevue shortstop Jayden Ayala awaits the throw during the second inning of Friday's state 6A North Regional game at Post Falls High.
  

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Post Falls senior pitcher Michael O'Connor throws a pitch during the second inning of Friday's state 6A North Regional game against Ridgevue of Nampa at Post Falls High.