Defense, pitching carry T-Wolves

Lake City baseball coach Cory Bridges always stresses that defense and pitching will keep a team in a ballgame.

Defense and pitching were the difference Friday – particularly the defense of platoon right fielder Michael Korczyk and the pitching of seldom-used sophomore Scott Siebert.

Korczyk had a rally-killing diving catch in the sixth inning and Siebert was steady through five innings as the defending 5A state champion Timberwolves closed out the regular season with a 7-1 win over Coeur d’Alene in an Inland Empire League game at CdA.

The Region I tournament begins Tuesday when second-seeded LC (15-5) plays host to No. 3 Post Falls (9-13) and No. 4 CdA (9-15) travels to top-seeded Lewiston (18-1). Both games begin at 4.

“When you play great defense and pitch it well, it takes a lot of pressure off of the hitting,” LC coach Cory Bridges said. “That’s what happened today.”

CdA starting pitcher Jordan Harlow would have liked one pitch back, though. It was a first-pitch fastball that LC’s Zach Clanton belted over the left-field fence for a 3-run homer that, for the longest time, appeared as if it would account for LC’s only runs.

CdA trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the sixth. A single by Matt Cade, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with two outs. That’s when Harlow looped one to right that appeared as if it would clear the bases. But Korczyk made the diving stab.

Korczyk wasn’t sure the ball was in his glove. He had to take a second look.

“We were playing no doubles and we were all playing deep, so my first step was back,” Korczyk said. “Then I got a good jump on it and went after it. I didn’t feel or hear anything so I had to look at first. I was thinking about it after I got in the dugout, ‘What if it would have landed?’ That would have been three runs right there.”

CdA coach Chris Stangel applauded Korczyk’s defense.

“That was a wonderful catch,” Stangel said. “If he doesn’t come up with the ball, we take the lead. But that’s typical of their team. They’re a very good defensive team and they have the maturity and experience.”

Bridges also thought the defensive gem was timely.

“That was huge,” Bridges said. “It gave us a ton of momentum.”

LC added four runs with two outs in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach.

It was a strange week for LC, which had only lost to Lewiston in league play until splitting a doubleheader with Post Falls and CdA.

“We had hiccups this week, and they were defensive hiccups,” Bridges said. “And it was one inning in both doubleheaders that cost us games.”

Korczyk expects LC to get things rolling in the postseason.

“We have a veteran group and we’re expecting a lot,” Korczyk said.

Stangel likes the way his team is playing going into regionals.

“I see us really coming together right now,” Stangel said. “I’m excited to go down to Lewiston to play.”

•Also in the IEL, Lewiston collected 29 hits in an 8-2, 17-3 doubleheader sweep of host Post Falls. Lewiston’s Mark Podrabsky had five hits and Post Falls’ Zach Aker four hits for the day. Lewiston’s Dusty Kerns had four hits, all in the second game.