KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Despite a 6-for-7 day from Troy Carr, the College of Idaho could not overcome 29 runners left on base, as Oregon Tech completed a doubleheader sweep at Kiger Stadium.
The Owls (14-25, 5-13 NAIA West) ended an eight game losing streak with a 9-8 win in Game 1, and then rallied from a 10-1 deficit to stun the Yotes an 11-inning, 13-11 nightcap.
C of I (27-17, 9-9) opened the scoring in Game 1, as a first inning Cole Mansanerez RBI double gave the visitors the 1-0 lead. Tech countered with the bat of Ryan Grant – who tied the game with a first inning RBI single and gave his team a 5-1 lead in the second with a two-run single.
The Yotes chipped away at the deficit, as a Carr RBI double in the fourth made it 5-2, while in the fifth, a Carr RBI single, a Sam Grise two-run single, and a Jake Hennessey sacrifice fly giving C of I a 6-5 lead.
Grant answered, slugging his first two home runs of the year, a two-run shot in both the fifth and seventh innings, to give OIT a 9-6 lead. The Yotes would plate two in the eighth – thanks to an error and a wild pitch – but strand the bases loaded.
Michael McCall got the win for Tech, despite allowing 11 hits and six walks. Grant was 4-for-4 with seven RBI in the victory.
Carr was 4-for-4, with Mansanerez, Chase Miller, Mitch Viydo, and Matt Hamilton all recording two hits for C of I.
Game 2 was all C of I through the first six innings – taking a 10-1 lead into the late frames. A five-run second inning, keyed by two-run singles by Hennessey and Mansanerez, broke the game open, while in the fourth, a Mansanerez two-run single and a Carr RBI double gave the visitors a nine-run cushion.
Tech rallied against the back-end of the Yotes bullpen, scoring a run in the seventh and two in the eighth. Trailing 11-4 in the ninth, the Owls took advantage of a key C of I error, a balk, and a wild pitch – using a Matthew Moorehead two-run single to get within 11-8, with Brendon Flaherty tying the game with a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run home run.
In the 11th, Tyson Dahl ended the game with one swing, launching a walk-off two-run home run.
Hennessey was 3-for-6 with two RBI, with Mansanerez going 2-for-3 with five RBI for C of I. Kyle Garvin got a no-decision, allowing just two hits and one run in five innings of work.
The two teams close out the series tomorrow with an 11 a.m. (PT) doubleheader.
