19U Lakers get revenge, sweep Mountaineers to even season series

SANDPOINT — The 19U North Idaho Lakers bounced back from a pair of defeats at Northern Lakes on Monday with a doubleheader sweep of the Mountaineers on Wednesday night at War Memorial Field.

In the opener, Mick Koch hit a walk-off single with two outs in the seventh inning to push the American Legion team to a 7-6 victory.

The Lakers clung to a 6-2 lead entering the final inning, but Northern Lakes rallied to score four runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 6-6.

Everett Hannah, Mike Riley, Kody MacDonald, Greg Belgarde and Finn Mellander also drove in runs for the Lakers during the opener, which was a league game. Hannah, MacDonald and Koch all went 2 for 4 at the plate and Mellander was 2 for 2.

MacDonald started on the mound and allowed just one hit and one run over 3 1/3 innings while striking out five. He also stole four bases.

In the nightcap, Hannah went 3 for 5 with four RBIs to lead the Lakers to an 11-5 win.

The Lakers scored five runs in the fourth and fifth innings and recorded 13 hits to cruise past the Mountaineers.

Belgarde and Trevor Brackett each tallied three hits. Koby Barlow started on the bump and surrendered three runs over two innings. Zeke Roop came on and tossed seven strikeouts over three innings.

The victories allowed the Lakers to improve to 5-5 overall, and 3-3 in North Idaho League play.

The 19U and 16U teams will both compete in the Border Battle Tournament on Friday and Saturday at Pine Street Field and War Memorial Field. Both teams will play four games across the two days.

FIRST GAME

Northern Lakes 000 200 4 — 6 7 3

N.I. Lakers 210 012 1 — 7 11 2

Jacob Hessing, Andrew Horn (7) and Sam Pemberton; Kody MacDonald, Everett Hannah (4), Avery Bocksch (7) and Mike Riley. W — Bocksch. L — Horn.

HITS: NL — Powell, Pote 2, Pemberton, Hessing, Vandever, Schaffner. NIL— Hannah 2, MacDonald 2, Mellander 2, Koch 2, Riley, Belgarde, Roop. 2B — Pote 2, MacDonald. 3B — Powell, Hessing, Riley.

SECOND GAME

Northern Lakes 012 001 1 — 5 4 0

N.I. Lakers 200 550 X — 11 13 0

Wyatt Kitchin, Andrew Horn (4), Jacob Schaffner (5) and Caleb Knight; Koby Barlow, Zeke Roop (3), Mick Koch (6) and Mike Riley. W — Roop. L — Kitchin.

HITS: NL — Powell, Clift, Pemberton, Knight. NIL — Hannah 3, Belgarde 3, Brackett 3, Riley, MacDonald, Bocksch, Barlow. 2B — Hannah 2. 3B — Clift, Pemberton, Belgarde.