CALDWELL, Idaho – Jordan Grubbs capped a wild late inning comeback with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning, lifting the College of Idaho to a 9-8 victory over Saint Martin's at Wolfe Field.
The Coyotes (6-6) trailed 7-2 with two outs in the ninth inning, but plated five runs to tie the score, then tallied two runs in the second extra frame to earn the series win.
C of I loaded the bases in the ninth, with Cole Mansanerez drawing a walk to start the rally. Jake Hennessey was hit by a pitch to force in a run, with a free pass to Seth Champlin getting the Yotes within 7-5. Zach Fabricius tied the game, roping a two-strike pitch into right field to score a pair.
The Division II Saints (2-8) regained the lead in their 11th, as Kameron Bannister lined a two-out RBI single to score David Bellamy. The Yotes countered in the bottom of the inning, as Mansanerez singled and moved to second when Hennessey was hit by a pitch. One out later, Fabricius lined a single into center to score Mansanerez with the tying run. With two outs, Joel Martin walked, bringing up Grubbs, who hit the first pitch he saw into right to end the game.
Martin got the win for the Yotes, pitching three and two-thirds innings of four hit relief, striking out a pair. Brady Mooney was 3-for-6 with an RBI, with Grubbs, Fabricius, and Nate Hundley each logging two hits.
SMU jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with Josh Sontag providing the big blow with a two-run double. The Saints would tack on single runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings to build the big lead – as starter Nick Mailhot allowed just five hits and two runs in six strong innings.
Sontag was 3-for-6 and Adam Eskil was 3-for-4 in the loss for the Saints.
C of I will have next weekend off in preparation for a trip to Arizona for the Tucson Invitational Games.
