Lakers blow out Cd'A

SANDPOINT — The new team T-shirts are a tribute to a stellar season to this point for the Peak Sand and Gravel Lakers, paying homage to both the Wooden Bat and American Legion “A” championships won by the team this year.

But the season is still far from over, as the district and possibly the state tournament are still to come. If Monday’s 15-1 dispatching of Coeur d’Alene at War Memorial Field was any indication, the Lakers might need to print another T-shirt soon.

The Lakers (31-7) jumped out early and never looked back, as the team’s three top pitchers, Cole Tonnemacher, Tyler Gordon and Tevin Hamilton, combined on a three-hitter while getting a little extra work in before districts.

Andrew Pearlstein led the offensive barrage by scoring four runs and smacking a double, Joel Cramer scored three times and hit a triple, while Tonnemacher, Jordan Hammack and Nick Halpin each scored twice in the blowout.

The Lakers received a first round bye in the seven team district tournament, which starts Wednesday, and will face the winner of Orofino and Coeur d’Alene on Thursday in Moscow. The top two teams from the district tournament advance to state, which will be held in Burley later this month.

Lewiston, Orofino and Moscow all played the Lakers tough this season, and head coach Mike Givens is expecting a tough row to hoe for his team to get to state.

“The top four teams in the league are tight. We won seven games by one-run,” said Givens, who is preaching the fundamentals to his team at districts. “Execute on offense, solid defense, and the biggest thing will be pitchers getting ahead in the count.”