COMING UP: vs. Northwest Nazarene (DH), Tuesday, 3 p.m.
LAST WEEK: vs. Great Falls (W 7-0, W 8-0), vs. St. Martin’s (W 6-2, L 6-4, L 10-7, L 9-4)
FRIGID WEATHER HAMPERS SCHEDULE: The C of I battled not only tough opponents’ from both Great Falls and St. Martin’s, but a tough weather pattern that made it tough on players and fans alike. Following Friday’s doubleheader with UGF, a storm dumped a half an inch of rain on the Symms Field surface, followed by a half inch of snow. The conditions delayed Saturday’s twinbill by nearly three hours, while Sunday, the infield froze over, forcing a delay of over an hour to prep the surface.
ONE HIT STREAK SNAPPED, ONE HIT STREAK ALIVE: On Friday, the Lady Yotes saw the end of the longest hitting streak in program history, as
Molly Mills (Burley, Idaho / Burley HS) had her record-setting 21 game run ended by Great Falls – the third-longest hit streak in Cascade Conference history. However, the Yotes have a second streak in progress, as sophomore
Alexis Macias (Stockton, Calif. / San Joaquin Delta CC) hit safely in all six weekend games, pushing her string to 15 games in a row. The streak by Macias is the longest single-season hit streak in C of I history.
BLANKING A DOUBLEHEADER: The Lady Yotes received outstanding pitching on Friday night in their two wins over Great Falls, as
Nickayla Skinner (Mountain Home, Idaho / Mountain Home HS) tossed a two-hit shutout, followed by a seven-hit shutout from freshman
Cortni Pena (Meridian, Idaho / Meridian HS). It marked the first time since March 25, 2007(when Katie Zillner and Brooke Judy each blanked Concordia), that the Yotes did not allow a run in a doubleheader – spanning 255 games.
WHO WAS HOT: Alexis Macias had a big weekend at the plate for the Yotes, leading the team with 10 hits and five runs scored, hitting .476 in the six games, while driving in four.
Rachael Strong (Clackamas, Ore. / Clackamas CC) had a solid weekend as well, going 4-for-9 with a double, homer, and seven RBI. Nickayla Skinner did it with the bat and with her arm – going 6-for-13 with two doubles and two RBI at the plate, while picking up two wins in the circle with a 0.72 ERA.
WHAT WAS NOT: The Lady Yotes struggled with their defense throughout the weekend, including a school-record eight errors in the Game 1 loss to St. Martin’s on Sunday. In all, The C of I committed 13 errors in the four-game set with SMU – leading directly to 14 unearned runs.
CCC/NAIA PRESEASON POLLS: The Lady Yotes were picked to finish fourth in the preseason CCC Coaches’ Poll, released in November. Defending league champion, Oregon Tech, earned the top spot, followed by CCC Tournament runners-up, Corban, Concordia, and the Lady Yotes. Southern Oregon, Eastern Oregon, Northwest Christian, and first-year program, Northwest, round out the balloting. In the preseason NAIA Top-25 Coaches’ Poll, the Lady Yotes received 23 voter points and were among the “others receiving votes” category. Cal State-San Marcos was the preseason No. 1 team, followed by Lubbock Christian (Texas), Brenau (Ga.), Oklahoma City, and Concordia (Calif.). OIT was ranked No. 9, Corban was ranked No. 17, while Concordia (Ore.) received votes. The first regular-season Top-25 poll will be released on March 19.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Lady Yotes play their next six games at home, looking to continue their recent success at Symms Field. Under head coach
Al Mendiola, the Lady Yotes have posted a home record of 95-44.
ABOUT NORTHWEST NAZARENE: For the first time in two seasons, the Lady Yotes will rekindle their Canyon County rivalry with
Northwest Nazarene, as the two teams will play a home-and-home series. The Crusaders (4-5) had a four-game win streak (wins over Black Hills State, New Mexico Highlands, and two over Eastern Oregon) snapped on Saturday with two losses to Great Falls. NNU is paced offensively by a trio of players – catcher Shelby Johnson (.542 3 HR 8 RBI), first-baseman Brianna Kinghorn (.286 4 HR 9 RBI), and designated player Michelle Crumbaker (.261 9 RBI), part of an offense that averages four runs per game. In the circle, Noelle Wright (3-3 4.71 ERA) has pitched the majority of the innings, with Crusader hurlers combining for a 3.80 ERA. The teams have met 44 previous times, with the Yotes holding a 34-10 series edge.
RECORD BOOK: Four Coyotes rank among the Top-10 in career records, led by junior Nickayla Skinner, who offensively is No. 7 all-time in home runs (10) in doubles (22), while pitching, she is No. 1 in saves (6), No. 2 in wins (39), strikeouts (469), innings pitched (387.0), complete games (45), and shutouts (13), No. 3 in starts (55), and No. 5 in appearances (68).
Hannah Johnson (Homedale, Idaho / Homedale HS) is No. 4 all-time in sacrifice hits (22), No. 6 in triples (2), and No. 7 in walks (33); Molly Mills is No. 3 in hit by pitches (16), No 7 in sacrifice hits (12), and No. 10 in stolen bases (17); with
Julia Henrie (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) No. 5 in hit by pitches (12) and No. 6 in triples (2).
GAME RECAP – C OF I 7, GREAT FALLS 0; C OF I 8, GREAT FALLS 0: Alexis Macias went 4-for-7 with two doubles and two RBI, while Nickayla Skinner and Cortni Pena each tossed shutouts, as The C of I opened their home season at Symms Field Friday with 7-0 and 8-0 victories over Great Falls. Macias, who extended her hit streak to 11 on the afternoon, got the Lady Yotes rolling in the opener, doubling off the left field wall to open the second, scoring on a one-out Rachael Strong single. The C of I would load the bases, getting RBI singles from Skinner and Molly Mills to make it 3-0. An inning later, Macias doubled home Julia Henrie to extend the lead to 4-0, scoring on another Strong single. Macias' third hit of the game, a run-scoring single in the fourth, made it 6-0, with the Yotes capping the scoring with an unearned run in the sixth. It was more than enough for Skinner, who allowed just two hits and struck out six for her sixth win of the season. Mills, Strong, and
Kayla Webb (Garland, Utah / Bear River HS) each had two hits for the Yotes. Keeley Van Blaricom allowed 13 hits in the loss for the Argos. Game 2 saw UGF load the bases in the first off Pena, but with one out, Kylie Prough hit a sharp comebacker to the circle, where the freshman hurler started a 1-2-3 double play to get out of the jam. The contest would remain scoreless until the fourth, when the Coyotes sent 10 batters to the play to score five. Pena doubled home a pair of runs to get the Yotes on the board, with a
McKensie Stanton (Boise, Idaho / Wenatchee Valley CC) RBI single, a Kaci Baldwin RBI groundout, and a Hannah Johnson sacrifice fly making it 5-0. The Argos loaded the bases again in the fifth, but Pena got the second out of the inning at home, the coaxing a sharp ground ball to short to end the threat. The C of I scored a pair of unearned runs in the fifth to make it 7-0, then in the sixth,
Briana Brace (Hillsboro, Ore. / Clackamas CC) walked, with Skinner lining an RBI double to induce the mercy rule. Pena picked up her third win of the season, allowing seven hits, walking four, and fanning three. Skinner and
Ashley Van Horne (Caldwell, Idaho / Wenatchee Valley CC) each had two hits for The C of I, while Nicole Banach had two hits for UGF. Mills saw her school-record hit streak snapped at 21 with a 0-for-3 performance in Game 2.
GAME RECAP – C OF I 6, ST. MARTIN’S 2; ST. MARTIN’S 6, C OF I 4: After nearly three hour delay for field maintenance at Symms Field due to a late winter snowstorm , The C o I split a non-conference doubleheader with St. Martin’s, winning Game 1, 6-2, before falling in 10 innings in Game 2, 6-4. One inch of snow covered the playing surface this morning, with the Yotes delaying the start time to clear the field and dry the infield dirt – resulting in the delay. The Yotes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening inning of Game 1, putting runners at second and third with one out, plating runs on an Alexis Macias RBI single and a McKensie Stanton RBI groundout. SMU got a run back in the third, as Dani Wall led off the inning with a solo home run, but the Yotes countered in the fourth, as Stanton hit her first homer of the season. In the fifth, Julia Henrie added a wind-blown three-run shot to push the lead to 6-1 to cap the Coyote scoring. Nickayla Skinner went five-plus innings to log her seventh win of the season, striking out six, while also going 2-for-2 at the plate. Wall and Lacey McGladrey each had two hits for the Saints. The visitors got on the board first in Game 2, as a Joslyn Eugenio RBI single in the first gave SMU a 1-0 lead. The Yotes answered in the bottom of the inning, as Stanton singled home a run and
Kaci Baldwin (Lewiston, Idaho / Lewiston HS) lined a two-run single to give the hosts a 3-1 lead. The C of I would push the lead to 4-1 in the third on an Ashley Van Horne RBI double – but would not crack Saints starter Taylor Bakos the rest of the way – having the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth and a runner at third and no outs in the eighth, but failing to score. The Saints got life in the sixth inning, taking advantage of an error that prolonged the frame, as Taviah Jenkins hit a long three-run homer to left to tie the score. In the tenth, SMU won it – as Sam Munger scored on a two-out wild pitch and Megan Miller added an RBI double. Miller and Munger each had two hits in the win, while Stanton went 2-for-4 for the Yotes.
GAME RECAP – ST. MARTIN’S 10, C OF I 7; ST. MARTIN’S 9, C OF I 4: Pounding out 19 runs and 25 hits, Saint Martin's University swept a Sunday doubleheader from The C of I, winning 10-7 and 9-4 at Symms Field. SMU took advantage of three of C of I’s school-record eight errors in the opening inning, as an RBI single from Sam Munger and a two-run single by Dani Wall, gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. The Yotes cut the gap to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning, as Molly Mills led off with a solo homer and Rachael Strong delivered a sacrifice fly. Munger doubled home a run in the second to push the lead to 4-2 and Madi Davis lifted a sacrifice fly in the fourth to give the Saints a three-run lead. However, the Yotes would take the lead in the fifth, with Strong belting a grand slam homer to give The C of I a 7-5 lead. The lead would be short lived, as four errors helped SMU bat around – with a Munger RBI double and a two-run Wall single gave the Saints the lead for good. Munger went 4-for-4 with three doubles at the plate, while also getting the win, allowing just one earned run for the Saints. Wall also went 3-for-4 with four RBI. Strong went 2-for-3 with five RBI, while both Kayla Webb and Alexis Macias had two hit games for the Yotes. SMU grabbed a 4-0 lead in the second inning of Game 2, as Taylor Bakos slammed a two-run homer, with Munger and Jocelyn Eugenio adding RBI singles. The Saints would add a pair of runs in the fourth and fifth innings to push the margin to 8-0, before the Yotes got on the board in the sixth – as Briana Brace doubled in a run and Hannah Johnson lined an RBI single. Trailing 9-2 in the seventh, the Yotes loaded the bases with one out, with Macias singling in a run and
Kendall Pavey (Spokane, Wash. / Lewis & Clark HS) lifting a sacrifice fly – but could not get closer. Eugenio went 4-for-5 with two RBI for the Saints – as SMU pounded out 15 hits. Brace went 3-for-3, with Macias and Johnson each recording two hits for the Yotes.
ABOUT THE COACH: Al Mendiola is in his eighth year as head coach of The C of I softball program and holds an all-time record of 192-135 - the most wins by a softball coach in program history. The native of San Diego, Calif. has helped the Lady Yotes become a force in Northwest softball, leading The C of I to playoff appearances each year from 2006-09, including the 2007 and 2009 Cascade Conference championships, the 2008 NAIA Region I championship, and berths in the 2008 and 2009 NAIA Softball National Championships. Following the 2007 season, Mendiola was honored as CCC and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year after the Coyotes set a school record with 37 wins. Under his direction, the Yotes have been ranked as high as No. 14 in the NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll. Outside of softball, Mendiola was the head coach of the Caldwell Silver Streaks American Legion baseball team from 1997-07 and has also assisted with the Boise Clippers men's fastpitch team. He was also an assistant coach for The C of I baseball team for seven years. A 1994 graduate of The C of I, Mendiola played two seasons of baseball for head coach Tim Mooney, earning honorable mention NAIA All-America honors as a senior. His wife, Liz, has been the head volleyball coach at The C of I for the past 12 years. The Mendiola's have two children, Aleah and Micah, and reside in Caldwell.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on The C of I softball program, head to the official homepage of the Lady Yotes,
http://www.yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=sb.
