Coeur d’Alene Legion baseball opens with doubleheader sweep of Sandpoint

Coeur d’Alene Legion baseball opened its summer with the kind of performance that can change the tone of a season before it really settles in. The Lumbermen swept Sandpoint Sasquatch 17U at War Memorial Field on Saturday, 12-4 and 15-0, and did it with offense, pitching and depth all showing up at once.

The first game turned in the fifth inning, when Coeur d’Alene broke loose for nine runs and pulled away from a tight start. JD Davenport delivered two RBI singles in that frame, while Will D’Orazi added two RBIs of his own as the Lumbermen turned one inning into control of the opener. Evan Huss and Trevor Booze supplied the mound work behind it, combining for 10 strikeouts and giving Coeur d’Alene the kind of pitching foundation that can keep a summer team on schedule even when the bats cool off.

The second game looked even more complete. Coeur d’Alene scored 15 runs in five innings and ended the contest under the 10-run rule, a shortened game that still had no shortage of damage. Logan Strimback and Aven Adams each drove in four runs, with Strimback hitting a three-run double and Adams lining two two-run doubles. Justin Fagan also drove in three runs, including two on an early single, and the box score showed Coeur d’Alene spreading production through the lineup instead of leaning on one hot bat.

That matters in Legion baseball, where roster turnover can reshape a team from one summer to the next. In a May 21 preview, the stakes were summed up plainly: “It’s likely the last season we’ll have this group together due to graduations and players moving on.” Coeur d’Alene’s season-opening sweep offered a strong answer to that reality, at least for one afternoon at War Memorial Field.

The Lumbermen now turn quickly to Prairie, hosting the Cardinals on Wednesday at Thorco Field at 6 p.m. The pace fits a program that says its A team, coached by Sean MacNiven and Ryan Schneider, is made up of high school sophomores and freshmen and plays about 45 to 55 games across North Idaho and Spokane leagues. With Idaho American Legion Baseball’s AA state tournament set for Nampa from July 24-28, with a banquet July 23, early wins like these can shape both confidence and seeding long before the postseason arrives.

Sandpoint’s program entered the matchup with its own rebuilding story, having worked to strengthen its baseball pipeline and coming off a district third-place finish that included wins over Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston. That made Saturday’s sweep more than a pair of box-score wins. It was an early statement from Coeur d’Alene that this summer may be about more than a hot start at home.