Sandpoint Majors All-Stars win thriller over Hayden
—Photo by ANNA BUTLER Sandpoint Majors All-Star Mickie Koch belts a huge two-run homer to help his team secure a 14-13 win over Hayden, getting one step closer to the state championship.
Sandpoint now faces Lewiston in championship
SANDPOINT — A huge two-run homer and a clutch game-ending double play helped the Sandpoint Majors All-Stars make a little history on Sunday, when they advanced to the Championship Series of the District All-Star Tournament with a thrilling 14-13 win over perennial power Hayden.
Mickie Koch belted a two run home run in the top of the sixth inning to stake Sandpoint to a six-run lead, and they would ultimately need every one as the last inning offered up plenty of drama.
Hayden belted three home runs and eventually cut the lead to one, with the tying run on base when a defensive gem helped closer Blake Sherrill earn the save.
With a runner on second and one-out, the Bulldogs turned a rare 6-3-5 double play to end the game and advance out of pool play. Gerrit Cox fielded the ball at short, checked the base runner and fired to Ethan Butler at first, who then gunned over to Zeke Roop at third, who applied the tag for the final out of the game.
“Sandpoint Little League was established in 1984, so to say this has been a long time in the making is an understatement,” said Tony Butler, one of the team’s coaches. “This was a total team effort that centered on a stingy defense and smart plate appearances. They walked us a lot and we made them pay for it with timely hits.”
Sandpoint now faces Lewiston for the district title starting Friday in Hayden, and the right to travel to Boise and play the District 2 champion for the state title. Lewiston was the lone team to beat Sandpoint in pool play.
The Juniors All-Star team is also in action, and will take on Lakeland starting next Tuesday in Rathdrum at Cooper Field, in a winner-take-all best two out of three series for both the District and State titles.