Sandpoint 5, Twin Falls 4

IDAHO FALLS — A game-ending double play was the icing on the cake for Sandpoint High.

Senior Mason Little went 2-for-2 with an RBI single in the third and the go-ahead home run in the fifth as the No. 2 Bulldogs erased a three-run deficit to take down the No. 3 Bruins in the opening round of the 5A State Championship Series held Thursday at Melaleuca Field.

Twin Falls, which beat Bishop Kelly twice and won three consecutive games facing elimination before they clinched the 5A Super Regional South Qualifier title last week, jumped on Sandpoint early with an RBI triple and an RBI groundout in back-to-back plate appearances in the top of the first. Senior Parker Reichart responded in the bottom half of the inning, putting the Bulldogs on the board with a deep RBI single to right field, which scored junior Brennan Shaw all the way from first base.

In the third, however, the Bruins reached base in five consecutive plate appearances to extend their lead to 4-1, but the Bulldogs did not hit the panic button. Junior Brennan Shaw, who had two stolen bases, Reichart, and Little hit back-to-back-to-back singles as Sandpoint quickly got a run back in the bottom of the third.

In the fourth, Sandpoint continued to carry the momentum as senior Sage Medeiros smashed his first career home run to left field during the second at-bat of the inning to close the gap to 4-3. Senior Hayden Miller, who had a pair of singles in the contest, recorded a base hit following the solo shot and senior Coleman Inge hit him home with an RBI double to right field on a 1-2 count to tie the game 4-4.

After a shut-down inning on the mound by Medeiros to start the fifth, Little wasted no time, driving a fastball to deep right field on a 1-2 count for his second career home run.

"I was so excited — words can't describe it," Sandpoint High head coach Jesse Dunham said following Little's solo homer. "I have been saying it all year... he's been one of our best players, and every single time we've needed him, he's stepped up."

Shaw, who took control on the rubber after Medeiros struck out seven batters over five innings of work, threw two no-hit innings in relief to earn the save.

"Lights out," coach Dunham said of Shaw's performance. "He gets on the mound and pitches like a Bulldog."

Sandpoint (23-2), which outhit Twins Falls by a 10-6 margin and has won 15 games in a row, will face off against No. 4 Skyview (21-3) in a 5A State Championship Series game set for Friday at 3 p.m. PST. The Hawks of Nampa, which have won 17 consecutive games, upset No. 1 Bonneville (22-5) by a score of 4-3 in their opener. The winner will advance to the 5A State Championship game on Saturday, where the eventual opponent would have to win twice in order to claim victory. The loser will face the winner of a loser-out game between Bonneville-Twin Falls at 6 p.m. PST on Friday. 

Twin Falls 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 4 6 0

Sandpoint 1 0 1 2 1 0 X — 5 10 0

PITCHING

SPT — Medeiros (W): 5IP, 6H, 4R (4ER), 2BB, 7K. Shaw (S): 2IP, 0H, 0ER, 1BB, 1K. TF — Stadelmeir: 3IP, 4H, 2R (2ER), 1BB, 4K. Kasel: 0.1IP, 4H, 2R (2ER), 0BB, 0K. Richter (L): 2.2IP, 2H, 1R (1ER), 1BB, 2K.

BATTING

HITS: SPT — Reichart 2, Little 2, Miller 2, Shaw 1, Caprio 1, Medeiros 1, Inge 1. TF — Beem 2, Richter 1, Murray 1, Stadelmeir 1, Carter 1.

2B — Inge, Richter, Stadelmeir. 3B — Murray. HR — Little, Medeiros.

RBI: SPT — Reichart 1, Little 1, Medeiros 1, Inge 1. TF — Beem 2, Murray 1, Bingham 1.

    Sandpoint High junior Brennan Shaw releases a pitch during Thursday's 5A State Championship Series opening round game against Twin Falls.