TWINS WIN IN 10, RULE STATE

Jaden Phillips



Lewis-Clark outlasts Idaho Falls 3-2 to nab storied program's first state title since 2009

TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Lewis-Clark coach Kevin Maurer said he could see it in his team members' faces.Down two runs entering the eighth inning, the Twins never wavered in their belief. They knew they could rally, and they did.

The Twins downed Idaho Falls 3-2 in 10 innings Sunday in the Idaho AA Legion baseball tournament, capturing their 39th state title and their first since 2009.

Helping end that drought, the Twins' Jaden Phillips finished with two RBI on two singles, one of which tied the score in the eighth (and deflated Idaho Falls, in his coach's estimation), the second of which proved the game-winner in the top of the 10th, both coming with two outs.

In the bottom of the final frame, Twins closer AJ Davis fanned the first batter he faced, walked the second, then induced the third into a game-ending double play by throwing a tough pitch to hit.

"It was an 0-2 count, so I was just going to give him a curveball to either strike him out or get him to roll over to Jaden," Davis said of his third baseman, who started the final relay.

"As soon as I saw it," Phillips said of the final groundout right to him on two hops, "I knew that we were going to win the game."

On the final play, Phillips fired to second baseman Ryder Shoults, who then threw to first baseman Luke White, which led to baseball's most iconic celebration: a dogpile.

Davis' late sacrifice fly two innings earlier got the Twins (35-10) on the board and pulled them within a run, a difference they enjoyed thanks to another gutty performance.

Bouncing back from a rough third in which he gave up two runs, Twins starter Julian Washburn "straight manned up," in Maurer's words, giving Lewis-Clark just what it needed. In other words, scoreless innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames.

"(Julian's) going to always give you an opportunity to go out and win a ballgame - it doesn't matter if it's 20 degrees, or 110 degrees," Maurer said, alluding to the 95-degree temperatures in Twin Falls on Sunday.

Maurer couldn't stop raving about his team's pitching, going on to say just what Davis did.

"He retired eight straight guys," Maurer said of his closer from the seventh through the opening of the 10th, when Davis didn't give Idaho Falls "even an ounce of hope to score off us."

While Idaho Falls entered the tournament with just four losses all season, the southern Idaho squad had to fight just to reach the title game, defeating Mountain View earlier Sunday 1-0 and getting a second shot at Lewis-Clark in four days. The Twins shut out Idaho Falls earlier in the tournament behind another stalwart starter, Wyatt Baldwin.

The Twins now advance to the regional tournament starting Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. PDT in Missoula, Mont.

"It's just a tremendous group of players," Maurer said of his team, "that I'm blessed to coach."

Twins 000 000 020 1-3 9 1

Idaho Falls 002 000 000 0-2 6 1

Julian Washburn, A.J. Davis (7) and Chase Adkison. Thomas Alexander, Caden Anstounson (10) and Jace Jones.

Twins hits - Riley Way, Alex Light 2, Luke White, Jaden Phillips 2, Danny Robinson 2, Chris Powell (2B)
Idaho Falls hits - Reed Hutter, Andrew Gregerson (2B), Brandon Bialas (2B), Bridger Taylor, Randon Hostert, Bryson Tibbitts


AJ Davis

 

 

Julian Washburn

 

 

Northwest Regional Tournament Information

 

Information about the Regional tournament

Welcome to Missoula and congratulations on winning your state championship! Each team will have a Missoula Ambassador meet them at the airport or hotel upon arrival to share more information about the following:

​

• Opening banquet for players and coaches-Tues., Aug. 1, 6pm, Ogren Park
• Opening ceremonies follow 4pm game Wed., Aug. 2
• Players and coaches will be staying at the Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St.      Missoula, MT 59801    406-721-8550
• Partner hotels are offering special rates for parents/attendees
• Buy your tickets online or at the gate
• Laundry facilities
• Missoula houses of worship
• Team options for group dinners/transportation at these restaurants
• Team ambassadors names and contact information
• Medical facilities
• Transportation to/from airport provided
• Scheduled daily transportation from hotel to Ogren Park/Allegiance Field
• 24-hour gym access provided by Access Fitness

Our ambassador's

 

IDAHO-Lisa & Bob (406) 544-6253

 

 

Twins fall but make title game regardless

TWIN FALLS, Idaho - When they step onto the diamond for today's winner-take-all state title game, the Lewis-Clark Twins will no doubt be looking to rebound from Saturday's 6-1 loss to Mountain View.

Perhaps against Mountain View.

Facing the winner of an earlier game today between Mountain View and Idaho Falls, the Twins will play at 3 p.m. PDT today, with the prize closer than ever.

A win at the Idaho state AA Legion baseball tournament would put Lewis-Clark into Regionals for the first time since 2009, the last time it won a state title, something the Twins can do for the 39th time in program history today.

The Twins knew they'd be in the title round of this double-elimination tournament regardless of what happened on Saturday - unlike Mountain View, playing for its life.

A life which was largely spared by streaky hitting.

"In those two innings, that's where their hits came," Twins Legion coach Kevin Maurer said of the seventh and eighth frames, when Mountain View broke a tie with five runs. "They had four singles in the seventh inning, so they were just able to get those timely hits. They didn't put a charge into any balls, but they got them to land where we weren't."

Just one day after every Twins batter tallied a hit, Lewis-Clark's offense stalled on Saturday, and Maurer thinks he knows why.

"In a state tournament, your offense can go cold, and that happened to us today," he said. "Our guys, they just wanted it so much - sometimes that puts a little extra pressure on you and you lose focus on what you're trying to do in that batter's box."

The goal for the valley baseball team hasn't changed.

"To leave no doubt who the best team in the state is," Maurer said, "and we get the opportunity to prove that (today)."

There were two bright spots for the Twins: starting pitcher Kyle Van Boeyen throwing six innings of two-hit baseball in which he didn't give up any earned runs, and Riley Way's run-scoring single in the second giving Lewis-Clark an early lead.

"Their pitcher, he kept us off-balance," Maurer said, noting his team's 10 strikeouts at bat, "which is very unusual for us."

That's the message he's imparting to his team: This was an aberration.

"We had opportunities early on, the bases loaded in the second and only got one run out of it. We had a guy on third with no outs in the third and weren't able to score him. So we had chances ... but weren't able to get that big-time hit and score guys.

"We were outhitting them 8-2 going into the seventh inning, but we also didn't get a hit past the fifth inning, that was the last time we had a hit."

While the Twins presumably will be better rested than the two teams playing earlier today for the right to make the state title game, being rested can be a double-edged sword, Maurer said.

"That can play one of two ways, a team could be a little more exhausted going in," Maurer said of Idaho Falls and Mountain View, "or, they're also coming off a win and energized and have also just swung their bats for a good nine innings, especially if they had a good hitting day at the plate."

For Maurer, his team's fate will come down to one thing.

"It's just how we handle the moment," he said, "and not letting it get too big from how we actually play the game. You gotta be challenged in life and that's what makes life so special, going through moments like this and how do you respond? That's what makes this game so great, because you get the opportunity to prove that's not the team that you were."

Mountain View 000 100 230-6 8 1

Twins 010 000 000-1 9 4

Boden Mills, Jaden Yaneey (8) and Tanner McGrath. Kyle Van Boeyen, Danny Robinson (7) and Jackson Fuller, Nate Savolainen (4).

Mountain View hits - Riley Harrison 2, Phil LaFevre 3, Tanner McGrath, Braxton Mills, John Milner

Twins hits - Riley Way, AJ Davis, Luke White (3B), Chase Adkison 3, Jackson Fuller, Cole Olson 2 (2B)



Lund extends Lewis-Clark's shutout streak in state AA to 25 innings in 5-3 win over host Twin Falls

TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Offensive firepower has been the story line for the Lewis-Clark Twins all summer long, but commanding pitching helped the team punch its ticket to the Idaho Class AA Legion baseball championship round Friday night.

Cooper Lund held Twin Falls scoreless for the first seven innings of play to lead his team to a 5-3 win in front of a packed crowd in Twin Falls. The victory leaves Lewis-Clark as the only unbeaten team remaining in the tournament.

"That was a huge game," Twins coach Kevin Maurer said. "You have to be able to go in there and be battle-tested. Coop had two walks in that first inning and gave up a hit, but after that he pitched a real dominant game

The Lewis-Clark pitching staff opened the tourney with 25 straight shutout innings and has now surrendered just three runs through 27 innings.

"Our pitching has been great all three games, I can't say enough about what our guys on the pitching side have done," Maurer said. "We just asked them to challenge every single guy and make them earn their way on base. If you attack hitters, not too many guys are going to be able to hit doubles because you're living in the zone and willing to challenge them."

The Twins (35-9) entered the fifth with a one-run lead, but a two-run homer from Luke White over the right-center field fence highlighted a three-run outburst for the squad.

"The first couple of innings they threw a soft lefty at us and we weren't able to sit back," Maurer said. "He was living at the knees and we had to make an adjustment to look for something at the belt."

Jaden Phillips led the offensive effort with three hits, while every member of the lineup recorded a base knock in the win.

"Jaden's been great for us all year at the plate," Maurer said. "He had a couple at-bats I know he wasn't happy with, but he was able to get the right mindset in that game and produce some quality hits for us."

Lewis-Clark also received a clutch relief appearance from Nate Savolainen, who took the mound in the eighth with a runner on first.

"The spot Nate had to come into was very difficult," Maurer said. "The home crowd was energized and real loud and that's a huge pressure situation. For him to get out of it and go into the ninth and shut them down in a real tight game says a lot about him."

The victory earned an automatic berth for the Twins in the championship game Sunday. Lewis-Clark returns to the diamond today for a 6 p.m. PDT meeting with Mountain View, while Idaho Falls and Twin Falls stand as the other two squads still in the competition.
victory gives the Twins an advantage in the title game, with the opposing team needing two wins to claim the title. An L-C loss sets the stage for a winner-take-all showdown.

"We've played really good baseball for three days now, but it's not over," Maurer said. "We understand as a team that we don't settle for being OK; when we show up tomorrow that's the most important thing in our minds. We are going to be focused from the first pitch of the game and won't think about anything else until the last pitch."

Lewis-Clark 000 131 000-5 14 2

Twin Falls 000 000 030-3 7 1

Cooper Lund, Nate Savolainen (8) and Chase Adkison. Lucas Young, Cade Greenfield (6) and A.Scholes.

Lewis-Clark hits - Riley Way, Alex Light 2, AJ Davis 2 (2B), Luke White (HR), Jaden Phillips 3 (2B), Chase Adkison, Danny Robinson (3B), Chris Powell (2B), Colt Olson.

Twin Falls hits - Nolan, Stutznan, Brann, Holcomb, Greenfield, Eller (2B), Scholes.

 

Baldwin holds Idaho Falls to 3 hits in eight innings as Lewis-Clark triumphs 6-0

TWIN FALLS, Idaho - Fans at the Idaho Class AA Legion state baseball tournament might have thought they were experiencing deja vu Thursday afternoon when they saw the scoreboard during the Lewis-Clark Twins game.

The squad posted its second shutout victory in as many days, cruising to a 6-0 win over Idaho Falls after disposing of Meridian in a 9-0 contest the previous day.

"That's what we came down here to do," Lewis-Clark coach Kevin Maurer said. "You have to understand the game right in front of you is the most important. When we go out like that, we play fiery baseball and are able to have games like this."

Wyatt Baldwin toed the rubber for eight shutout innings, holding Idaho Falls to three hits in his outing.

"He was tough as nails on the mound," Maurer said. "To go out there - facing a good-hitting squad - and to throw eight innings of shutout baseball ... that was a big game for us and he stepped up for that."

Although Baldwin only tallied one strikeout in the win, Maurer said it was the team's strong defensive play that helped his pitcher find a groove.

"Our defense was flat-out incredible today," Maurer said. "To have a guy knowing he can trust everyone behind him, it was truly amazing."

A highlight play for Lewis-Clark (34-9) came in the bottom of the second, when Idaho Falls (43-5) led off the frame with a double that energized the dugout. In the ensuing at-bat, catcher Jackson Fuller backpicked the runner at second to take away the scoring threat and "quiet" the opposing team.

"I've seen a lot of high school baseball, and this is by far the best I've ever seen a team play defense," Maurer said. "They made really tough plays throughout the game and made them look routine."

The Twins found an offensive spark when Riley Way and Alex Light led off the third inning with consecutive doubles. Luke White and Chase Adkison added a pair of singles during the four-run frame.

"That's where we got going, right there," Maurer said. "That was their ace that Idaho Falls threw against us today. He's a pretty dang good pitcher and it was great to have that kind of inning."

Adkison and AJ Davis combined for six hits and two doubles in the win, while Fuller added a pair of RBI

The win advances Lewis-Clark to a meeting tonight at 6 PDT against tournament host Twin Falls.

"We're playing away from home, but when we're between the lines it's just as much our turf as theirs," Maurer said. "When you play a host team, you're going to see a jam-packed crowd, and that's what we live for."

Lewis-Clark 004 010 010-6 12 0

Idaho Falls 000 000 000-0 4 3

Wyatt Baldwin, Luke White (9) and Jackson Fuller. Hosert, Christiansen (8) and Jones.

Lewis-Clark hits - Riley Way (2B), Alex Light 2 (2B), AJ Davis 3 (2B), Luke White, Chase Adkison 3 (2B), Jackson Fuller 2.

Idaho Falls - Hueter, Taylor (2B), Jones, Hosert.

A Big Thank You!

Twins heading to State