Loggers win with Plan B
Butterfield suffers injury in semis, Hadaller takes over in circle as Potlatch nips Kendrick for third straight district softball title
GENESEE — A line drive to the pitcher’s mound in the semifinal round altered Potlatch’s game plan the rest of the day.
But Plan B was, just barely, good enough.
Kaylen Hadaller filled in admirably for injured pitcher Rebecca Butterfield as the Loggers staved off Kendrick’s last-ditch rally Wednesday for a 12-11 win in the title game of an Idaho Class 1A district softball tournament at the Genesee Recreational District Sports Complex.
Both teams, along with third-place Genesee, advance to the state tournament beginning May 20 at the Moscow School District Community Playfields.
Butterfield, the Loggers’ accomplished ace, took a line drive to the pitching hand in the third inning of a 12-8 semifinal win against Genesee. She played first base the rest of the day.
That left the onus on Hadaller, a junior who held firm for six-plus innings before the Tigers (12-7) erupted for six runs in the top of the seventh. Josie Larson, who relieved Butterfield against Genesee, returned to the mound to get the final two outs.
“I knew my team had my back,” Butterfield said, “and I didn’t really need to go back in. I’m just saving it for State.”
The result was a third consecutive district title for Potlatch (15-2), not counting the 2020 season wiped out by the pandemic.
“Our two seniors — that’s all they know,” Potlatch coach Dean Butterfield said, “is winning league and district.”
He was referring to his daughter, Rebecca, and Emma Chambers, who said, “Our coach reminded us after the game this is the third time we’ve done this, and that feels pretty good.”
In the title game, the Loggers took tentative control with a four-run fourth, getting a two-run double from freshman Haylee McNeal and an RBI single from Larson.
But Kendrick struck back in the sixth as Hannah Tweit stroked a two-run double and Harley Heimgartner added a two-run single to close the gap to 6-5.
The Loggers got down to business in their half, drawing key hits from Chambers, Tayva McKinney, Butterfield, Hadaller and Delaney Beckner to make it 12-5.
Kendrick’s surge in the seventh included key run-scoring hits by Kenadie Kirk, Erin Morgan, Heimgartner and Natalie Kimbley.
“I got a little scared,” Chambers said of the Tigers’ rally. “I just kept looking at the scoreboard. But we have a pretty solid team, and we work together, so I knew we could make it through.”
Kendrick had gutted out a 4-2 win against Clearwater Valley in one semifinal game.
“I think we were a little emotionally spent, and were thinking about that the first few innings against Potlatch,” Kendrick coach Morgan LeBlanc said. “Butterfield being out, that’s tough. Nobody likes to see one of best players in the league be out for the district championship game. Potlatch does a great job.”
Genesee nabbed its state-tournament berth with a 12-1 six-inning win against Clearwater Valley.
FINAL
Kendrick 010 004 6—11 9 6
Potlatch 200 406 x—12 14 3
Morgan, Boyer (4) and Kirk; Hadaller, Larson (7) and McKinney. W—Hadaller. L—Morgan. S—Larson.
Kendrick hits — Tweit 2 (2B), Heimgartner 2 (2B), Kirk (2B), Morgan (2B), Taylor, Kimbley, Cochrane.
Potlatch hits — McNeal 3 (2B), Larson 3, Akins 2 (2B), Chambers 2, Hadaller (2B), Butterfield, Beckner, Fry.
THIRD PLACE
Genesee 300 225—12 11 1
Clearwater Valley 100 000—1 3 0
Meyer and English; Ketola and Martinez.
Genesee hits — Leseman 3 (2B), Lowe 2 (3B), English 2, Meyer, Hanson, Donner, Scharnhorst.
Clearwater Valley hits — Tavernier, Dominguez, Ketola.
SEMIFINALS
Genesee 010 060 1—8 6 4
Potlatch 334 101 x—12 11 4
Leseman, Meyer (3) and Donner; Butterfield, Larson (4) and McKinney. W—Larson. L—Leseman.
Genesee hits — Donner 2 (2B), Herman 2, Leseman (2B), Lowe.
Potlatch hits — Butterfield 3, Fry 3, Beckner 2, Chambers (2B), McKinney (2B), Akins (2B).
———
Kendrick 000 010 3—4 9 0
Clearwater Valley 000 011 0—2 6 0
Taylor and Kirk; Ketola and Martinez.
Kendrick hits — Kirk 2, Taylor 2, Heimgartner 2, Boyer 2, Tweit.
Clearwater Valley hits — Morrow (2B), Tavernier, Davy, Dominguez, Andrews, Palmer.
Grummert may be contacted at daleg@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2290.
