Bulldogs fall to Bears in 4A playoff opener

MOSCOW — Defensive lapses have plagued the Sandpoint softball team all season, and four errors would prove too much to overcome as the Bulldogs fell 5-0 to the Bears in the first round of the 4A Region 1 softball tournament Monday at Moscow High School.

Molly Givens was solid on the mound, but some unearned runs resulted after some defensive miscues by the Bulldogs (5-16) on some routine catches.

“The pitching was fantastic again,” said Bulldogs head coach Derek Dickinson. “We just couldn’t make the routine play in the outfield.”

Givens and Kym DaVault each had two singles to lead the Sandpoint offense, which has had a hard time figuring out Moscow (5-18) ace Raelyn Gosse, who held the Bulldogs to just four hits.

“If you can’t score any runs you can’t win,” explained Dickinson, who hopes his team rebounds in the true double-elimination tournament. “It doesn’t matter how many they (opponent) score.”

Sandpoint awaits the loser of today’s game between Moscow and Lakeland, in a loser-out road game on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Sandpoint 000 000 0 — 0 4 4

Moscow    021 011 x — 5 9 1

Molly Givens, Maggie Kischer (6) and Rachel Hammack; Raelyn Gosse and Amy Westberg. W — Gosse. L — Givens (4-7).

HITS: Spt — Givens 2, DaVault 2. Mos — Nikki Redinger, Amy Westberg 3, Desire Maxey, Chrissy Hicks, Jamie Wallace, Becca Papineau, Kaitlyn Krasselt. 2B — Westberg 3.