Bulldogs baseball falls after fifth inning blunder
Auggie Lehman looks to throw from his catcher position against Moscow in Game 1 of its best of three series at Memorial Field.
(Photo by JASON DUCHOW PHOTOGRAPHY)
BOISE — The Sandpoint High School baseball team gave Bishop Kelly, the defending Idaho Class 4A state champions, all it could handle for four innings defensively.
Junior Colin Roos took control of the mound during those innings and was the true definition of a survivor for the Bulldogs.
He left the bump allowing two runs on five hits, striking out seven.
When the junior left the hill in the bottom of the fifth, the Knights became unglued, scoring eight runs to force the 10-run rule.
Bishop Kelly defeated Sandpoint 10-0 in the opening round of the Class 4A Idaho state baseball tournament.
“We played four innings of really good baseball,” Sandpoint baseball coach Chase Tigert said. “(Colin) Roos threw really well and gave us every chance to win. We just couldn’t do anything at the plate.”
Bishop Kelly’s pitching staff of Colin Dempsey and Cooper Cammann combined for a no-hitter through five innings.
Dempsey got the start for the Knights; he allowed no hits and struck out two. Cammann came in during the top of the fourth and also allowed no hits, but wasn’t able to register a strike out.
“Both of those kids could throw three types of pitches for a strike,” Tigert said. “We didn’t make many adjustments and it’s hard to get a knock when you go against a pitcher like that.”
The Bulldogs only reached base three times, twice on a walk and once on a fielding error.
Bishop Kelly was holding on to a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning when Finn Mellander got on base following a Bishop Kelly error.
Koby Barlow then got on base after a walk.
Austin Dillon was to follow and he grounded out into a double play. Drew Lehman popped out to end the inning.
During Roos’ four innings of work, he managed to get the Bulldogs out of some pretty sticky situations.
He got Sandpoint out of the first and fourth innings with the bases loaded. He also struck out three batters following a Cammann triple in the bottom of the second.
“He’s a competitor,” Tigert said. “It doesn’t matter what the count is; it doesn’t matter how many outs there are. I'm never nervous when (Colin) is on the hill.”
Roos did make some mistakes while on the bump; however, he threw out two wild pitches in the bottom of the third that were costly for the Bulldogs.
The first one allowed Pacific University commit Caden Cassagrande to advance to third; the second allowed him to score to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
When Jack Ringer and Zeke Roop came in relief for Roos, the intensity that the defense had in the first four innings seemed to fizzle away.
“It’s frustrating, it’s tough, it’s exhausting,” Tigert said. “Free bags are never helpful; they just make things a lot harder.”
Sandpoint will face off against Bonneville in a loser-out game today at 1 p.m. MST at Bishop Kelly High School.
SANDPOINT 000 00 — 0 0 1
BISHOP KELLY 101 08 — 10 12 0
Colin Roos, Jack Ringer (5), Zeke Roop (5), and Auggie Lehman. Colin Dempsey, Cooper Cammann (5), and Hadley Smith
HITS: SPT — none. BK — Cammann 2, Cassagrande 3, Jones 2, Vandenberg, Hatch 2, Smith, Kappes. 2B — Vandenberg, Jones. 3B — Cammann.