PREP SOFTBALL: Lakeland advances to state for first time since 2022

By MARK NELKE 

Sports editor 

5A

RATHDRUM — The Lakeland Hawks weren’t going to let the opportunity slip away for a second straight year.  

One year after leading Lewiston by six runs in the 5A Region 1 championship game, then losing on a walk-off hit, Lakeland rolled through the regional tournament on Friday on its home field, beating Moscow 11-1 and Sandpoint 6-0 to advance to state for the first time since 2022. 

“It was difficult, but we got through it,” Lakeland senior third baseman Kiersten Drake said of last year’s Lewiston game. “We used it as fire. That was literally the reason we wanted to be here today, and go to state. That would haunt us a lot, even during the preseason. We talked about it from the beginning of the season. We had it on our whiteboard — beat Lewiston.” 

As it turned out, Lakeland (21-5) didn’t have to beat Lewiston (8-16) to get to state. Sandpoint (10-14) took care of that earlier Friday, winning 19-8. Lakeland then beat Moscow (2-23), then took on the Bulldogs for the district’s lone berth to state. 

“I had confidence that we were going to win it,” said Drake, who has signed with North Idaho College. “There was no part in my mind that we weren’t going to go to state this year.” 

Lakeland advances to state next Thursday through Saturday at Post Falls High. As of Thursday, the Hawks were ranked eighth in 5A by MaxPreps, whose rankings are used to seed the state tournament. Lakeland will likely learn its first-round opponent at state on Sunday.

“A little redemption this year, for sure,” fifth-year Lakeland coach Dwayne Curry said. “Honestly, because we have the majority of the same kids, but last year we just didn’t jell, they didn’t come together. This year, from our trip to St. George for the preseason tournament, that’s when they really started building themselves into a team, and playing for each other.  

“To be honest, my coaches did great. What I did was mainly get out of the way, Curry added. “They are a talented group of kids, and once they started to trust each other ... I’m really excited for next week.” 

In the championship game, junior Abby Helmholz pitched a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts. 

“I wanted to go to state for my seniors,” said Helmholz, who added after last year’s loss to Lewiston, the Hawks went back to “working on everything; fielding, hitting, and we’ve all bonded together, and instead of being a team we’re a family.” 

Reese Dutton singled home her sister, Raygen Dutton, in the second inning to open the scoring. 

In the fourth, Reese Dutton and Helmholz singled with two out. A run scored on an error, and junior Ada Blakemore followed with a two-run single. 

In the fifth, the lefty swinging Raygen Dutton hit a two-run homer over the center field fence. 

Sandpoint loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but Helmholz got the next batter to foul out, and struck out the next hitter. 

“I just think that all of us are really dedicated to the team,” Lakeland senior catcher Delilah Zimmerman, a Montana State-Billings commit. “And all of us have a really strong bond, and it helps us on the field because we have trust in each other.   

Sophomore left-hander Marlee Stevens struck out nine for Sandpoint. 

In the first game, Lakeland hit five home runs and Reece Dutton struck out 10 and scattered two hits as the Hawks beat Moscow 11-1. 

Katie Nave hit a three-run homer in a five-run third inning for Lakeland. Ella Ferguson added a two-run shot in the fifth, Blakemore hit two solo homers. Raygen Dutton added a solo shot, and ended the game with a walk-off single that scored Zimmerman. 

Blakemore finished 4 for 4, Avah Gonzales 3 for 4 for the Hawks. 

LAKELAND 6, SANDPOINT 0 

Sandpoint     000    000    0    —    0    3    3 

Lakeland     010    320    x    —    6    10    0 

Marlee Stevens and Arah Stevens; Abby Helmholz and Delilah Zimmerman. 

HITS: Spt — M. Stevens, Newsom, Olsen. LL — Blakemore 2, Gonzales 2, Drake, Ra. Dutton, Nave, Re. Dutton 2, Helmholz. 2B — Blakemore. HR — Ra. Dutton.  

LAKELAND 11, MOSCOW 1 

Moscow     000    100    —    1    2    3 

Lakeland     105    131    —    11    16    0 

Taylor Williams and Aubrey Vogl; Reece Dutton and Katie Dewey. 

HITS: Mos — Hennrich, Marcotte. LL — Blakemore 4, Gonzales 3, Zimmerman 2, Drake 2, Ra. Dutton 2, Nave, Re. Dutton, Ferguson. 2B — Blakemore, Gonzales, Drake. HR — Hennrich, Blakemore 2, Ferguson, Nave, Ra. Dutton. 

3A 

Kellogg wins district title 

OROFINO — Analeigh Miller walked and scored the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice in the top of the sixth, and the second-seeded Kellogg Wildcats beat the top-seeded Orofino Maniacs 3-2 in the championship game of the 3A District 1-2 tournament. 

Kellogg (15-4) advances to state next Thursday through Saturday at Lakeland and Timberlake high schools. 

Orofino (18-3) later punched its ticket to state, beating Grangeville (10-15) 14-4 in the second-place game. 

Earlier, Grangeville beat St. Maries (4-13) 17-6 in a loser-out game. 

Joci Lee struck out seven and allowed three hits for Kellogg in the championship game. She also went 2 for 4 with an RBI single in the fifth to tie the game at 2. 

Addilyn Turner hit a three-run homer in the first inning for St. Maries vs. Grangeville, and Lyssa Watkins went 3 for 4 with an RBI and run scored for the Lumberjacks. 

KELLOGG 3, OROFINO 2 

Kellogg     000    021    0    —    3    10    2 

Orofino     002    000    0    —    2    3    1 

Joci Lee and Kamryn McDonald; Reece Deyo and Paige Deyo. 

HITS: Kell — A. Kunze, Schillereff, McDonald, Lee 2, Munoz, E. Kunze, Miller, Dechand, Gloyn. Oro — R. Deyo, Pederson, Renner.  

GRANGEVILLE 17, ST. MARIES 6 

St. Maries     400    002    —    6    8    13 

Grangeville     521    054    —    17    10    2 

Lyssa Watkins and Taryn Brebner; Autumn Long and Caryss Barger. 

HITS: SM — Watkins 3, Scheffelmaier, Brebner, Turner, Maetche, Caldwell. Grange — Harris, Vanderwall 2, Long 2, Barger, M. Klement, Schumacher, MacGregor. 2B — Barger. 3B — Vanderwall. HR — Turner. 

    JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY Lakeland catcher Delilah Zimmerman snags a bunt attempt by Avery Inge (8) of Sandpoint in the seventh inning of Friday's 5A Region 1 softball championship game in Rathdrum.