Patriots face Gonzaga in first playoff round

Palouse Patriots are booked to play Gonzaga Prep Friday in a 7:30 game at Shadle Park for the first round of the Legion AAA district playoffs. The Patriots, who finished league play with a 4-4 mark two weeks ago, will start district action after posting league adventures at Whitefish, Mont., and Lewiston.

During league action, the Patriots booked a split with the Gonzaga team in home-and-home matchups on consecutive nights.

In the Lewiston tourney Friday, the Patriots booked a split. They defeated Bellevue 3-2 in their first game and then lost to the host Lewis Clark Twins 3-13 in the second game to finish 1-2 in the tournament.

Reece Chadwick pitched all the way in the first game and allowed Bellevue batters just three hits. He struck out one batter and allowed zero walks.

The Patriots scored a run to take the lead in the first inning, but Bellevue scored two runs in the second inning to take it back. The game tied at 2-2 in the fifth, and the Pats scored in the bottom of the seventh for the win. Cal Gregory hit the RBI single for the walk- off win. Zane Wilson rapped three singles to top the Patriots’ 10-hit offense.

In the second game Saturday, the Twins stacked up a 10-1 lead after three innings on the way to the 13-3 win. The game was stopped after the Twins added a run in the bottom of the sixth to hit the 10-run margin. The Twins totaled 11 hits.

Parker Huber, Connor Parrish and Konner Kincade pitched for the Patriots.

Kyle Appel rapped an RBI double for the top hit. Wilson and Tristan Wilson each singled.

The Pats had five errors against the Twins.

Thursday, the River City Athletics rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull out an 8-6 win over the Palouse Patriots in the first round of the tournament. The Pats had a 6-4 lead going into the last inning. The Athletics scored four runs in the first innings to take an early lead, but the Pats took the lead in the fifth inning.

Gregory shut down the Athletic bats in the middle of the game, but the As shelled Appel in the seventh.

The Patriots finished with seven hits. Wilson rapped a two-run double for the go-ahead hit. Appel and Reece Chadwick each tagged a double, and Jackson Horner had two singles.

The 1-2 Lewiston adventure leaves the Patriots at 12-18 for the season going into district action.