Bulldogs' comeback falls short

MOSCOW — A far cry from the 3-2 pitcher’s duel that Sandpoint won by stealing home on Wednesday, the Bulldogs and Bears waged yet another exciting battle on Thursday, as the Bears prevailed 13-12 in Inland Empire League baseball action in Moscow.

The win clinches home field advantage for the Bears (11-6, 5-4 IEL) in the district playoffs, where Sandpoint, Moscow and Lakeland will vie for the lone 4A North state berth.

Despite the loss, Sandpoint coach Chris Young was happy with the way his team battled, especially after giving up seven first inning runs and trailing 13-3 at one point. Young said they never lost their spark while playing catch up the whole game.

“They never gave up,” said Young, mentioning a similar trait to the 2006 state championship team. “We could have packed it in, but they honestly thought they had a chance to win. We played all seven and kept fighting.”

The Bulldogs (7-15, 2-7 IEL) cut the lead to 13-12 by plating nine runs in the top of the fifth inning, as Ben Fisher, Joel Cramer and Jake Semones each had a triple and the whole lineup came to life. Jordan Hammack and Bryce Olin each laced a double as Sandpoint pounded out 13 hits on the day, including five for extra bases.

The two evenly-matched teams are likely to meet again with a state berth on the line, and Young said it will come down to his pitchers pounding the strike zone and playing solid defense for the whole game, not just in stretches.

Sandpoint plays at Post Falls in an IEL doubleheader on Saturday.

Sandpoint  101 190 0 — 12

Jordan Hammack, Tevin Hamilton (1), Jake Semones (5) and Cory Neer. L — Hammack.

HITS: Spt — Cramer, Semones 3, Fisher 3, Olin, Hammack 2, Charvoz, Neer 2.

*Moscow stats were unavailable.