Bulldogs end losing streak, unable to grab No. 1 seed to regionals

RATHDRUM — Heading into Thursday's doubleheader at Lakeland, Sandpoint baseball had one thing in mind — sweeping the Hawks.

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were unable to accomplish that mission and they will be the No. 2 seed in the 4A Region 1 tournament that starts Monday.

SHS has the same 5A-4A Inland Empire League record as Moscow, 8-8, but the Bears won one more game in 4A IEL play, giving them the tiebreaker and the No. 1 seed.

The hopes of earning the No. 1 seed were taken away from the Bulldogs in the opening game against the Hawks on Thursday.

After Sandpoint secured a 2-0 lead in top of the fifth, Lakeland scored six runs in the bottom of the inning and never looked back.

The Bulldogs were held to just four hits in the game.

In the second game, Sandpoint was determined to avoid being swept for the second straight series.

The Bulldogs built a 6-2 lead and responded to three runs from the Hawks in bottom of the fifth with three runs across the final two innings to secure a 9-5 win.

The victory ended a four-game losing streak.

Max Thielbahr was 3 for 5 with three RBIs and Cody Newhart, Ethan Butler and Evan Williams each recorded two hits.

Butler started on the mound and allowed six hits and two runs over four innings. Zeke Roop came on in relief and tossed five strikeouts over three innings.

Sandpoint (15-8) will play No. 3 seed Lakeland in the 4A Region 1 loser-out game at 3 p.m. Monday in Moscow. The winner will advance to face Moscow at 5 p.m. in Game 1 of the best-of-3 championship series.

Head coach Chase Tigert said "the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster" for his team.

"It's been a grind," he said. "We've had some real big highs, beating Lewiston, and some real big lows."

The Bulldogs just wrapped up a stretch of playing nine games in nine days. Tigert said the team obviously would have preferred the easier path by being the No. 1 seed, but this group tends to shine in the face of adversity.

"If I’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that our kids like do to things the hard way," he said, "and I say that with the best intentions as we tend to thrive when our backs are against the wall, so moving forward I feel great. I’m confident. I believe in these kids and I believe we will flourish next week. We have the talent — we just need to fire on all cylinders."

FIRST GAME

Sandpoint 000 020 0 — 2 4 2

Lakeland 000 060 X — 6 10 1

Evan Williams, Kody MacDonald (5) and Trevor Brackett; Wysong, Pote (6) and Vanderver.

HITS: SHS — Thielbahr, Bocksch, Williams, Lehman. LL — Vanderver 2, Nowell 2, Hocking, Strietzel, Love, Ellwood, Day, Pote. 2B — Bocksch, Vanderver, Ellwood. 3B — Day, Nowell.

SECOND GAME

Sandpoint 001 231 2 — 9 10 3

Lakeland 200 030 0 — 5 7 3

Ethan Butler, Zeke Roop (5) and Trevor Brackett; Pote, Mason (5) and Vanderver.

HITS: SHS — Thielbahr 3, Newhart 2, Butler 2, Williams 2, Brackett. LL — Strietzel 3, Vanderver, Love, Nowell, Day. 2B — Newhart, Thielbahr, Williams, Strietzel.