Sandpoint falls to Lakeland

SANDPOINT — Sandpoint catcher Erin Cometto celebrated senior day in style, ripping a home run to right-center field, but it wasn’t enough as Sandpoint fell 15-3 to Lakeland Wednesday at Travers Park.

Molly Givens was solid on the mound for the Bulldogs (1-23, 0-11), who played in only their second and final home game of the season. She struck out seven Lakeland batters, many by way of a nasty change up, before tiring in the seventh inning as the Hawks plated nine runs to blow the game open.

“We improved today, we were competing,” said Bulldogs head coach Derek Dickinson, whose team was down only 6-3 to start the seventh inning. “They (Lakeland) started to really get a read on Molly.”

Kim Guercio laced a double, and Givens an RBI single for the other Sandpoint hits. Cometto, Amanda Rodriguez and manager Tasha Owens were honored in a Senior Day ceremony after the game.

Jamie Klopatek was sharp on the mound for Lakeland (11-10, 6-8 IEL), striking out 14 and holding the Bulldogs to only three hits.

“Definitely one of her best games,” said Hawks coach Colleen Bevacqua. “She worked the zone and hit where Erin wanted her to hit.”

Jordan Thomas had four hits and Alyana Watson three for Lakeland, which pounded out 16 hits, many of them in the 7th inning when their bats finally came alive. Bevacqua said her hitters’ timing was off at the plate, a testament to Givens mixing up speeds with her pitches.

Lakeland lost a coin flip with Moscow for the No. 1 seed in 4A, and will host Sandpoint on Monday in the first round of the district tournament.

Lakeland 201 021 9 — 15 16 2

Sandpoint 010 101 0 — 3 3 2

Jamie Klopatek and Erin O’Hara; Molly Givens, Amber Murphy (7) and Erin Cometto. W — Klopatek. L — Givens.

HITS: LL — Aly Watson 3, Thomas 4, Ali. Watson 2, O’Hara, Biggs, Campbell 2, Jacobson, Cox, Bruner. Spt — Cometto, Guercio, Givens. 2B — Guercio, Cox. 3B — Thomas, Ali. Watson, O’Hara. HR — Cometto.

? Hurt helps lead Clark Fork past Post Falls in nonleague tennis action

POST FALLS — Hannah Hurt won two 8-4 pro sets in girls singles, and the Cats swept the girls doubles to help lead 1A Clark Fork to an 8-4 win over 5A Post Falls in non-league tennis action in Post Falls.

Chelsea Macumber and Shaina Gustafson won 8-2 at No. 1 girls doubles, Amy Gannon and Brittny Yates won 8-1 at No. 2 and Kandice Daniels and Olivia Reed won 8-3 at No. 3 to complete the doubles sweep.

Mike Martin and Thomas McMahon had their final tune up before the Inland Empire tournament in Spokane this week, dispatching their Trojan opponents without dropping a game. McMahon also won 8-0 at No. 1 singles for the other Clark Fork wins.

Tuyen Hoang and Kandice Daniels lost 8-3 at No. 1 mixed doubles, and Read and Jacob Barber lost 8-2 at No. 2 mixed. Hoang and Barber lost 8-4 at No. 2 boys doubles, and Macumber lost 8-0 at No.1 girls singles to round out the action.

Clark Fork is at the Inland Empire in Spokane this weekend.