CALDWELL, Idaho – Concordia University pounded out 33 hits to spoil Senior Day for a trio of College of Idaho players, as the Cavaliers swept a doubleheader from the Coyotes, winning 8-1 and 12-8 at Wolfe Field.
The losses by the Coyotes (20-24, 11-17 NAIA West) put C of I’s postseason hopes on life-support, as Simpson University must sweep a Sunday doubleheader from Oregon Tech to give the Purple and Gold the fifth and final berth to the NAIA West Grouping Championships next weekend in Portland.
The Cavaliers (24-25, 14-14) jumped out to an early lead in Game 1, as back to back second inning RBI doubles by Ben Talbot and Sheldon Austria gave CU a 2-0 lead, while Blake Drake extended the lead to 3-0 in the sixth with a two-out RBI single.
C of I had chances, but couldn’t capitalize on six Cavalier walks – stranding runners in scoring position in both the second and sixth innings, before CU put the game away in the seventh – as Ryne Briley roped an RBI double, Jordan Keeker laced an RBI single, with a third run scoring on an error.
Three CU pitchers combined on the six-hitter, with starter Eddie Crowe going four innings, allowing just three hits. Austria went 3-for-4, while six other Cavalier players had multi-hit games.
The Coyotes took an early 1-0 lead in Game 2, as a two-out first inning throwing error plated a C of I run. CU answered in the third, as Cole Shidaki had the first of three RBI singles to tie the score, with the go-ahead run scoring on a wild pitch. The Cavs pushed the lead to 5-1 in the fifth, with a two-out, two-run Jared Young single providing the big blow.
C of I would battle back, getting a Joe Roseberry RBI single and a Jesse Dodd sacrifice fly in the fifth to get within 5-3, getting a Seth Champlin RBI ground out and a Jarel Lewis RBI single in the sixth to close the gap to 6-5. However, Concordia batted around for six runs in the seventh to blow the game open – including a two-run Elliott North double.
Shidaki went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while Jimmy Sanchez scored three runs for the Cavs. Lewis went 3-for-5 and Dodd going 1-for-4 in their final home game for the Yotes.
