Sandpoint clinches No. 1 seed in Inland Empire, sweeps Moscow at home
SANDPOINT – Sandpoint baseball defeated Moscow in both halves of a doubleheader Tuesday, May 2. The Bulldogs won the first game 2-0 and the second game 8-5.
After sweeping Lakeland Saturday, all the Bulldogs had to do was beat the Bears once to clinch the number one seed in postseason play, and they succeeded in Game 1.
The team got on the board in the bottom of the first with two runs – the only two runs that would be scored in the contest. Cody Newhart hit a solo home run to left field to make it 1-0. Kody MacDonald then hit an RBI single to score Drew Lehman who singled after the home run by Newhart. Lehman went 2-for-3 with a triple, a single and a run scored; he was the only Bulldog with multiple hits.
Jesse Turner pitched another gem on the mound, going five and two-thirds innings giving up just two hits, zero runs, three walks and striking out three batters. Austin Dillon was credited with the save. After Turner’s exit, Dillon threw one and one-thirds innings, giving up just one hit and striking out three Bears.
In Game 2, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five games with an 8-5 win.
Sandpoint jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. The Bulldogs scored two runs in the bottom of first. Jack Zimmerman was able to steal home on a passed ball and Finn Mellander walked with the bases loaded to bring in another run making the score 2-0 Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs would find themselves up 7-2 after five innings of play. Zach Leverich hit an RBI double to left field in the third, Dillon hit an RBI single to center in the fourth and MacDonald hit an RBI double to left in the fifth.
Moscow started to rally in the top of the sixth inning with three runs of their own due to a couple of errors and passed balls by the Bulldogs. However, Newhart put a stop to any of the Bears’ hopes pitching a 1-2-3 top of seventh to retire the side and secure the 8-5 victory.
The Bulldogs will face the winner of a Lakeland and Moscow play-in game on Monday May, 8 at 5:00 p.m. at War Memorial Field.
GAME ONE
MOSCOW 0, SANDPOINT 2
MOSCOW 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
SANDPOINT 200 000 0 – 2 7 0
HITS: SPT – Lehman 2, Day 2, C. Newhart, MacDonald, Barlow. MOS – Izzo, Isakson, Green.
2B – Green, Day. 3B – Lehman. HR – C. Newhart.
GAME TWO
MOSCOW 5, SANDPOINT 8
MOSCOW 000 203 0 – 5 4 2
SANDPOINT 201 131 – 8 9 3
HITS: SPT – C. Newhart 2, Dillon 2, Z. Leverich 2, Zimmerman, MacDonald, Leavitt. MOS – Anderson 2, Izzo, Kiblen.
2B – MacDonald, Z. Leverich, A Dillon.
