Sandpoint 16, Skyview 14

IDAHO FALLS — In a game that lasted two hours and 45 minutes and saw a combined 30 runs scored, Sandpoint did just enough to outlast late-surging Skyview.

Senior Mason Little powered an unstoppable offense, putting together a 3-for-3 effort that included four runs scored, two doubles, a home run, and seven RBIs in total, as the No. 2 Bulldogs gathered 18 base hits in a two-run win over the Hawks of Nampa in a 5A State Championship Series second round game held Friday afternoon at Melaleuca Field.

It certainly wasn't the script Sandpoint had in mind after amassing a 12-0 lead through three innings of play, but they took care of business in crunch time.

In the first, Little started off the scoring with a two-run double, senior Dallen Williams knocked home a run via an RBI single in the at-bat following, and Williams then scored on a wild pitch later in the inning for a quick 4-0 advantage. After a 1-2-3 inning by Williams on the mound in the second, Little struck again, lining a two-run frozen rope home run over the left field wall for a 6-0 lead.

The Bulldogs broke it open in the third, with senior Hayden Miller, senior Parker Reichart, and senior Soren Caprio all chipping in RBI singles during what ended up being a six-run inning. Williams registered an RBI double and Little nailed a two-run double to straightaway center in the frame as it appeared as if Sandpoint was in for an eventual run-rule victory, but Skyview had other ideas.

Between the fourth and fifth innings, the Hawks, winners of the 5A Super Regional West Qualifier, recorded six of their 11 base hits and scored 11 runs to close the deficit to just one run, 12-11. Heading into the bottom of the sixth, with the score still a one-run game, 13-12, Williams responded for Sandpoint. Following an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly, Williams belted a two-out RBI triple to right field on an 0-1 count to push the Bulldog lead to 16-12. The triple proved crucial as Skyview produced two more runs in the seventh before Shaw came off the rubber to record the final out in a rundown on the base paths.

"It shows how scrappy they are and how much fight they have," Sandpoint High head coach Jesse Dunham said about his Bulldogs holding on for the victory. "They all picked each other up really well tonight, and it showed."

In addition to Little and Williams, Shaw and Reichart also had three hits apiece while Caprio and junior Jack Schriber tallied two base hits each in the win for Sandpoint (24-2), which ended Skyview's 17-game winning streak. The victory puts Sandpoint in the would-be 5A State Championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. PST against the winner of a loser-out game between Skyview and Bonneville, which occurred on Friday night post-deadline.

Whether it's the Hawks or the Bees, which defeated Twin Falls 8-0 in an elimination game, they'll have to beat Sandpoint twice to claim the state trophy while the Bulldogs need to win just once. An if-necessary final game is scheduled for 4 p.m. PST at Melaleuca Field, home of the Idaho Falls Chukars minor league baseball team.

"It's very exciting," coach Dunham, in his first season as head coach, said of the program heading back to the state title game for the first time in 20 years. "All the credit to these guys — they deserve it. We just have to go get one more."

Skyview 0 0 0 6 5 1 2 — 14 11 2

Sandpoint 4 2 6 0 1 3 X — 16 18 3

PITCHING

SPT — Williams (W): 3.1IP, 5H, 6R (3ER), 2BB, 1K. Day: 0.2IP, 0H, 2R (2ER), 1BB, 0K. Reichart: 0.2IP, 3H, 3R (3ER), 1BB, 0K. Shaw: 2.1IP, 3H, 3R (1ER), 2BB, 3K. SKY — Martinez (L): 3IP, 14H, 12R (12ER), 1BB, 1K. Blacker: 1.2IP, 1H, 1R (1ER), 2BB, 1K. Barker: 1.1IP, 3H, 3R (3ER), 1BB, 0K.

BATTING

HITS: SPT — Shaw 3, Reichart 3, Little 3, Williams 3, Schriber 2, Caprio 2, Miller 1, Resso 1. SKY — Phillips 3, Russell 2, Krahn 2, Strong 2, Vavold 1, Sullivan 1. 2B — Little 2, Williams, Russell. 3B — Strong, Williams. HR — Little. RBI: SPT — Little 7, Williams 3, Reichart 2, Caprio 1, Medeiros 1, Miller 1. SKY — Strong 2, Tyson 2, Sullivan 2, Krahn 2, Russell 2, Downs 1.

    Sandpoint High senior Mason Little fist bumps the home plate umpire after his line drive two-run home run to left field during Friday's state tournament game at Melaleuca Field.