Lakers wrap up 'bittersweet' year

SANDPOINT — Riley Creek Lakers coach Rick Klontz called the legion baseball season "bittersweet" after a 6-1 loss to the Boise Gems Sunday in Lewiston ended their season with a record of 26-15.

Cory Hawkins pitched eight innings in the loss to Boise, holding the Gems to only four hits, while the Lakers banged out six. Hawkins was hurt by two wild innings, when walks and hit batters led to three runs for the Gems in both the third and the fourth innings, erasing an early 1-0 lead for the Lakers.

Klontz called the season "pretty good," noting it was one of their best records in a long time and marked the first time they've ever beaten Lewiston three times in one season.

What made the year bittersweet was the ending, when some of the players either quit or took off for other family functions. The Lakers started the year with 18 players, but played the state tournament in Lewiston with only 11, making things much tougher.

"We had a lot of non-committers and quitters," said Klontz of the season. "It kind of hurt us in the end."

? Babe Ruth 13 year-olds end successful season early

Being knocked out of the state tourney on the second day wasn't the plan, but it wasn't the end of the world either. At the outset the 13 year-old All Stars set three goals: extend the regular season by five weeks, be better players by the end of the program and forge new friendships. They achieved all of those goals before heading to Lewiston recently to end their season.

"We've watched every player round out his skills and they've really become good friends," said manager Hans Feyen. "We approached this tourney as icing on the cake."

The boys had the misfortune of drawing one of the powerhouse teams, Caldwell, in the first round. Panhandle played sound ball, but they were simply outgunned. The second day was clearly winnable and the local boys opened up with three back-to-back doubles, seizing the early lead.

"The boys didn't make many mental errors and hit .300 for the tourney, but couldn't string a rally together," added coach Shep Snow. "In the end, pitching was our biggest vulnerability."

Both Feyen and Snow agree that this will be a team to watch in a couple of years.