Bears use odd finish to edge Jerome

The Moscow Bears may still be wondering what happened Thursday in the opening round of the 4A state softball tournament at Ramsey Fields in Coeur d’Alene.

One thing they know for sure is that they won – in bizarre final-inning fashion – 4-3 over Jerome.

The Bears (18-9) advance to play perennial powerhouse Bishop Kelly today at noon. The Knights (25-3) got 15 strikeouts from ace Britney Croner and squeaked past Pocatello 1-0. In other action, Emmett upset Blackfoot 2-1 and Mountain Home beat Burley 7-0.

Emmett (15-9) battles Mountain Home (19-8) in another semifinal today at noon. In loser-out games this morning at 10, Jerome (15-5) meets Pocatello (24-4) and Blackfoot (23-3) takes on Burley (13-15).

Moscow ace Sarah Hawley got off to a jittery start, committing two errors in the top of the first and giving up all of Jerome’s three runs on one hit.

The Bears got one back in the bottom half, however, and added single runs in the fourth and fifth to pull even at 3, thanks in large part to sterling three-hit ball from Hawley in the final six innings.

Then came the bottom of the seventh.

Freshman Brigitte Lowe led off with a chop single over third base and was sacrificed to second by Gentry Beck. Emily Lish followed with a popout to Tigers pitcher Ashley Morrell.

Up stepped Bears leadoff hitter Lauren Bender, who had been 2 for 3 with a pair of blistering singles.

So Jerome coach Adam Reynolds decided to walk her. Tigers catcher Sara McEntarffer stood to receive ball one and ball two.

But on ball three, McEntarffer moved to her left in the middle of Morrell’s windup and Morrell stopped, committing a balk. Lowe was awarded third base.

With the count at 3-0, McEntarffer still stood, as if to receive the fourth intentional ball. But Morrell delivered one almost in the strike zone and Bender ripped it foul past third base and the count moved to 3-1 with two out.

With McEntarffer still standing, Morrell’s next pitch was right down the pipe and Bender ripped a short hopper to stunned Jerome shortstop Chelsea Craig. She made a stellar pickup, but rather than throw to first base for the final out of the inning with Bender practically still in the batter’s box, Craig made a wild throw home that wouldn’t have nailed the speedy Lowe had it been right on target.

“I figured if they gave me a pitch anywhere near the plate, I was going to try and hit it and try to drive the run in,” Bender said. “And they gave me a good pitch.”

State 3A

Timberlake 1, Bear Lake 0: Kayla Allred (20-5) pitched a complete-game two-hitter while striking out 13 as the Tigers blanked the Bears in the first round at Ward Field in Pocatello. Megan Hills’ RBI single in the fourth scored Anastasia Graham for the only run of the game. Timberlake (21-6) advances to play Marsh Valley, which beat Payette, today at noon in Pocatello.

Teton 14, St. Maries 0: The Lumberjacks fell to the Redskins in their first-round game at Pocatello. St. Maries (12-12) will play McCall-Donnelly, which lost to Kimberly 11-0 earlier, in a loser-out game today at 10 a.m.