CALDWELL, Idaho – A big inning in each game and solid pitching helped The College of Idaho complete a doubleheader sweep of Eastern Oregon, as the Yotes grabbed 5-3 and 6-1 wins at Symms Field.
Katie Rowe had a pair of doubles and a long home run in the victories for the Lady Yotes (22-20, 8-10 CCC), with Rachael Strong going 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI.
Game 1 was a pitchers’ duel between the Yotes Nickayla Skinner and the Mountaineers (11-24, 2-16) Kayla Anderson until the fifth, as with two outs, Hannah Johnson was hit by a pitch and Molly Mills followed with triple to the wall in right-center, to give the Yotes a 1-0 lead.
The C of I would give Skinner insurance runs in the sixth, as Ashley Van Horne hit a line-drive three-run homer and Johnson added an RBI single to give the Yotes a 5-0 lead. EOU would get on the board in the seventh on a wind-blown three-run Stephanie Maestretti long ball, but could not get closer.
Skinner allowed just three hits and struck out a season-high 12 in the win, while Anderson allowed just five hits and fanned 10 in the losing effort. No player for either team had more than one hit.
Eastern took a 1-0 lead in the first of Game 2 on a Graice Flyg RBI single, but the Yotes evened the score in the bottom of the inning – as Mills was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on an Alexis Macias RBI single.
An inning later, Rowe led off with a solo blast over the left field wall to put The C of I in the lead for good. The hosts would load the bases with two outs, with Strong lining a two-run single through the left side, with a third run scoring when the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
It was more than enough for Cortni Pena, who worked around eight singles to pick up the win, striking out six. Strong had three hits, with Macias, Rowe, and Van Horne each logging two hits – part of a 12-hit attack. Flyg went 2-for-3 in the loss for EOU.
The C of I continues their homestand this weekend with doubleheaders against Northwest Christian and Corban.
