Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2
CALDWELL, Idaho – Taylor Nicholson tossed a seven-hit shutout in the opener, with the College of Idaho using a late inning rally in Game 2 to complete a doubleheader sweep of Simpson University at Wolfe Field.
The Coyotes (17-13, 8-6 NAIA West) won the opener, 3-0, then grabbed a 6-4 decision in the late game.
Nicholson was dominant, allowing only one base runner to third base in the victory – striking out four in his third win of 2014. It was his third career complete game and his first shutout.
The Yotes scratched across a run in the fourth inning, as Jordan Grubbs dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt, giving C of I a 1-0 cushion. The hosts made it 2-0 in the seventh, as Joe Roseberry scored from third while Lee Johnson-Harris was caught in a two-out rundown on the base paths. Mitch Skaggs added an RBI single in the eighth to extend the lead to 3-0.
Skaggs and Brent Mehling had two hits for the Yotes, who were limited to just five hits by Redhawks (1-29, 1-13) hurler Garrett Greenshaw.
SU opened the scoring in Game 2 with a third inning RBI single from Ryan Lombardi, only to watch as the Yotes took the lead in the bottom of the inning on a Mehling RBI single and a Cole Mansanserez sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, Lombardi tied the game for the Redhawks with a sacrifice fly, taking the lead on an Elden Whisman RBI single. C of I countered in the seventh, as a Chase Miller RBI double tied the score at 3-3, with two of SU's five errors allowing a pair of Coyote runs to cross the plate.
Zach Fabricius went eight-plus innings for his fourth win, with Mitch Viydo getting the final out for his first save. Miller was 2-for-4 with two RBI in the win for the Yotes, while Lombardi was 2-for-4 with three RBI in the loss for Simpson.
The two teams close out the four-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow at 11 a.m.
