Lakers drop heartbreaker to Sedro-Woolley in state opener
Alex Leverich pitches during a district tournament game against the Whitman County Cougars on July 16 at Pine Street Field. Leverich went 2 for 3 in Monday's loss to Sedro-Woolley at state.
(File photo by DYLAN GREENE)
SPOKANE — The 16U North Idaho Lakers suffered a crushing defeat in their opening game at the Washington American Legion class A state tournament on Monday night.
Entering the bottom of the seventh inning, the Lakers clung to a 3-1 lead over Sedro-Woolley.
With two outs, Sedro Woolley had runners on second and third base. A pair of mistakes by the Lakers allowed Sedro-Woolley to knot the game at 3-3.
The next batter was walked by the Lakers (20-9-1), but the Sedro-Woolley runner on third base got aggressive and stole home to secure a 4-3 walk-off victory.
The defeat snapped a 15-game winning streak for the Lakers, who are now on the brink of elimination in the eight-team state tourney. North Idaho will face the Northern Lakes Mountaineers of Rathdrum in a loser-out game at noon Tuesday at Gonzaga Prep.
The Mountaineers handed the Lakers their only loss during Spokane League play this summer. They took down North Idaho 9-4 on June 5 in the first game of a doubleheader.
In the top of the seventh, the Lakers had a chance to cushion their advantage. Three walks allowed North Idaho to load the bases with one out. Unfortunately, back-to-back strikeouts kept the Lakers from putting any more runs on the board and that came back to bite them in the bottom of the inning.
Chase Sanroman hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Gavin Day and Jacob Hansen tallied an RBI double in the fifth to help the team build a 3-1 lead.
Alex Leverich went 2 for 3 at the plate. Jason Ringer, Alex Leverich, Cole Sanroman and Jorden Tyler all saw time on the mound and held Sedro-Woolley to just three hits.
Cole Sanroman and Tyler each recorded four strikeouts.
NI Lakers 100 110 0 — 3 6 0
Sedro-Woolley 100 00 3 — 4 3 2
Jason Ringer, Alex Leverich (2), Cole Sanroman (4), Jorden Tyler (6) and Gavin Day; Sherman Griffin, Dylan Stormont (3), Isaac Cameron (6), Cooper Daley (7) and Wyett Fedina.
HITS: NIL — A. Leverich 2, Newhart, Co. Sanroman, Hansen, Day. SW — Wright, Griffin, Stormont. 2B — Leverich, Hansen, Day, Wright.