Lichty throw gem as Bulldogs win 'classic'

NAMPA — It was a game for the baseball purist. A scoreless pitchers dual is decided in the last inning on a squeeze play.

Tyler Lichty was dominant from the mound and a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Vince D'Orazi in the bottom of the seventh inning provided the only run of the game as Sandpoint blanked Mountain Home 1-0 Thursday in the opening round of the 4A state baseball championships.

Lichty allowed a single in the first inning, and then shut down the Tigers from there, finishing with a one-hit, eight-strikeout shutout.

"We were ready to play and pumped to get into the semis," said Lichty, who also scored the only run of the game. "It was hot, I was mainly throwing fastballs."

Lichty was able to stay ahead in the count and keep the hitters off balance with some new-found velocity on his heater.

"I've never seen him throw so hard, he was overpowering the hitters," said Bulldogs' coach Mike Givens, who noted that the Mountain Home pitcher was equally overpowering.

With the score tied 0-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Lichty led off the inning with a walk. Catcher Jake Howell struck out, and with one out Givens rolled the dice with a hit-and-run, to stay out of a potential double play. The strategy worked to perfection, as Zac Manor laced a single to move Lichty to third. With Vince D'Orazi up, Givens put the squeeze on and D'Orazi delivered a perfect bunt down the first base line for the win.

"It was a heavyweight fight, just a classic game," Givens said.

True to form, Sandpoint was able to do the little things right when it mattered most, and Givens was able to push the right buttons. The Bulldogs out-hit the Tigers 6-1, with Ricky Klontz the only Bulldog with two hits, and there were no errors in the cleanly played game.

Zac Manor gets the start today as Sandpoint takes on Madison, a 7-5 winner over Minico, at 3 p.m.

Mountain Home 000 000 0 — 0 1 0

Sandpoint 000 000 1 — 1 6 0

Despres and Grodi; Lichty and Howell. SO-BB (Despres 8-1, Lichty 8-3). WP — Lichty. LP — Despres.

HITS: MH — Rau 1-2. SPT — Wolfe 1-3, Klontz 2-3, N. Hawkins

1-3, Pearlstein 1-1, D'Orazi 1-3. RBI — D'Orazi.