SHS baseball fends off Lakeland to complete sweep

SANDPOINT — In the top of the seventh inning on Thursday, a doubleheader sweep for Sandpoint baseball over rival Lakeland looked like it might just slip away.

After trailing 8-0, the Hawks rallied for six runs in the sixth inning to tighten things up and apply the pressure to the Bulldogs.

In the seventh, Jack Zimmerman stepped on the mound looking to wrap things up with Sandpoint leading 8-6. He got one out, but back-to-back walks allowed Lakeland to load the bases.

Head coach Chase Tigert handed the ball off to Kody MacDonald to get SHS out of the jam and close out the victory. The sophomore pitcher had no problem doing just that. He tossed six straight strikes and recorded a pair of strikeouts to silence Lakeland's hopes of a comeback and complete the Inland Empire League sweep.

Despite the stakes, MacDonald stayed calm, cool and collected on the mound to earn the save.

"I am so impressed with that kid," Tigert said. "He works so hard and he is trying to master his craft. Every single day he's one of the last guys still throwing ... He's going to do some big things for us this season."

In the doubleheader finale, Auggie Lehman started on the mound and was dealing. Across the first five innings, he didn't allow a single hit.

In the top of the sixth, Lehman allowed a double that scored a pair of runs for the Hawks. He was pulled after that. Lehman struck out five while allowing just one hit in his first start this season.

The Bulldogs had a couple guys resting their arms and trying to get healthy, so Tigert turned to Lehman and asked if he'd be willing to take the bump. All season Tigert has praised the talent of his pitching staff, and it shined again Thursday.

"It's nice because we have the depth," Tigert said, "and the guys believe in each other and they back each other up."

SHS clung to a 2-0 lead in the second game until the bottom of the fourth when the Bulldogs scored four runs. Ethan Butler and Cameron Garcia each hit an RBI double and Max Thielbahr earned an RBI single in the inning.

While the Bulldogs prefer to avoid letting teams back into games, Tigert said the doubleheader finale was a good test for his squad.

"Those are just great reps," he said. "We're going to be in tight ballgames and the sooner we get to experience that and the more we do that, the more comfortable we're going to get."

In the first game, Sandpoint cruised to a 12-1 victory over the Hawks. The game was called in the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule.

The Bulldogs pounced on the Hawks early, scoring five runs in the first inning.

SHS added one in the second, three in the third and three in the fourth inning to put away Lakeland. Cody Newhart had the highlight hit for the Bulldogs in the third inning. With two outs and Garcia on second base, Newhart blasted a two-run homer.

Blake Sherrill, Avery Bocksch, Newhart, Butler and Lehman each recorded two RBIs in the game.

Bocksch started on the mound and allowed five hits and one run across four innings. MacDonald took over in the fifth inning to close out the win.

Across the two games, Sandpoint tallied 16 hits. Tigert has been waiting for the bats to come alive for his team, and they certainly heated up against the Hawks.

"Today we flashed the signs," he said. "We flashed what I know we're capable of doing, so now it's just about harnessing that for consistency, and I'm confident that we'll be able to do that."

The sweep came five days after Sandpoint suffered a disappointing 12-1 home loss to Post Falls. Tigert said the Bulldogs weren't themselves in that game and he was proud of his team's ability to bounce back Thursday.

"We had a really hard week of practice," he said, "and they rose to the occasion, they worked really hard and they were ready for today."

Sandpoint is now 4-0 against 4A IEL opponents this season.

The Bulldogs (11-3, 6-3 IEL) host a doubleheader with Lewiston at noon Saturday.

FIRST GAME

Lakeland 001 00 — 1 7 3

Sandpoint 513 3X — 12 11 0

Game called in 5th inning due to 10-run rule.

Josh Mason, Scotty Hocking (4) and Gunner Vanderver; Avery Bocksch, Kody MacDonald (5) and Trevor Brackett. W — Bocksch. L — Mason.

HITS: LHS — Wysong 2, Vanderver 2, Hocking, Pempertom, Pote. SHS — Butler 2, Zimmerman 2, Sherrill 2, Newhart, Thielbahr, Williams, Bocksch, Lehman. 2B — Zimmerman, Butler. HR: Newhart.

SECOND GAME

Lakeland 000 006 0 — 6 3 4

Sandpoint 101 420 X — 8 5 2

Cole Strietzel, Payden Wysong (4) and Gunner Vanderver; Auggie Lehman, Zeke Roop (6), Jack Zimmerman (7), Kody MacDonald (7) and Trevor Brackett. W — Lehman. L — Strietzel.

HITS: LHS — Strietzel, Pote, Jacobson. SHS — Butler 2, Newhart, Thielbahr, Garcia. 2B — Newhart, Garcia, Butler, Strietzel, Jacobson.