Box Score VANCOUVER, B.C. - A seventh inning two-run single by Sam Shapiro broke a 5-5 tie, helping Menlo College upend the College of Idaho, 9-5, in the opening game of the 2014 NAIA West Grouping Championships at Thunderbird Park.
The loss by the Coyotes (25-21) drops C of I into an elimination game against Concordia University tomorrow at 10 a.m. The Yotes will have to win five-straight games in the next three days to earn the tournament title.
The Oaks (29-26) opened the scoring in the third on a Nick Quejado RBI single, but C of I quickly grabbed the lead in the bottom of the frame on a two-out, two-run triple from Chase Miller. The Yotes extended the lead to 3-1 in the fifth, as Brent Mehling led off with a triple and scored on a Miller fielders' choice.
Menlo responded in the sixth, getting and RBI singles from James Threw and John Bowling to tie the game, taking the lead on a Shapiro sacrifice fly. The see-saw game continued, as Zach Fabricius delivered a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the inning, as C of I took a 5-4 lead.
In the seventh, the Oaks took advantage of a pair of walks to start the inning, followed by a Chris Freeman run scoring single to tie the game. With two outs, Shapiro roped a single into left to plate two to give Menlo the lead for good.
After the Oaks added two key insurance runs in the eighth to make it 9-5, before the Yotes threatened in the bottom of the ninth, putting two on with no outs. However, John Schott got the final three outs, including two strikeouts, to record the save.
Daniel Chavez got the win, allowing five runs in six innings of work. Daniel Comstock was 3-for-5, with Freeman, Quejado, and Alex Boucher adding two hits. Miller was 3-for-4 with three RBI for the Yotes, with Gregg Simonds going 2-for-5.
Day 1 Recap -
Game 1 - Menlo 9, College of Idaho 5
Game 2 - Corban 2, Concordia 1
Game 3 - British Columbia 3, Menlo 0
Saturday's Schedule
Game 4 - College of Idaho vs. Concordia, 10 a.m. (loser out)
Game 5 - British Columbia vs. Corban, 1 p.m.
Game 6 - Winner 4 vs. Menlo, 4 p.m. (loser out)
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