MCMINNVILLE, Ore. - Head coach
Shawn Humberger became the winningest coach in College of Idaho athletics history, as the Coyotes split a doubleheader with Oregon Tech at Roy Helser Field.
The Yotes (5-3) erased a four-run deficit in the final two innings of Game 1 to force extra innings, but dropped a 9-8 decision, but hit two home runs in a 7-4 victory in the nightcap.
Humberger picked up win No. 528 in his 17-year career, surpassing his mentor, Tim Mooney, who won 527 games from 1987-2000. The 528 wins are the most by any C of I coach in any sport in school history.
GAME 1 - OIT 9, C of I 8 (10 inn.) - After spotting OIT (3-5) a 1-0 first inning lead in the opener, C of I answered with two in the bottom of the frame, as
Austin Van Horne led off with a solo homer and
Devon Pogue added an RBI single. The Owls regained the lead in the fourth inning, plating four runs - including two on a two-out Coyote error, to build a 5-2 lead.
The Yotes got a run back in the fourth on a
Hunter Hanson single, driving home Van Horne, who led off the inning with a triple, and added another on a sixth inning
Ryan Murkle solo homer. OIT struck back in the eighth, using small-ball to plate three runs, extending the margin to 8-4.
C of I didn't quit, as a Murkle RBI triple and a
Jake Bowman RBI groundout in the eighth cut the deficit in half, while in the ninth, a two-out, two-run single by Murkle forced extra innings. However, in the tenth, Blake Wrotenbery lined a two-out RBI double to give the Owls the lead, with Ronnie Red tossing a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to secure the victory.
Wes Loy got the win for OIT, allowing four runs in four innings of relief. Alex Poltz was 3-for-5 with two RBI, with Wrotenbery and Austin Zavala both recording two hits.
Murkle finished 3-for-4 with four RBI - a double shy of the cycle, with Van Horne, Hanson,
Bobby Wright and
Dominic Conigliaro all adding two hits.
GAME 2 - C of I 7, OIT 4 - Niall Manning and
Riley O'Brien combined to strike out 13 men in the Coyote win. C of I took advantage of an OIT error in the second inning to score two unearned runs, but Tech tied the game with one swing in the third, as Michael Kirkpatrick hit a two-run homer.
The Coyotes regained the lead in the fourth, then used the long ball in the fifth - as
Cole Mansanarez and Wright each hit solo home runs - to extend the C of I lead to 6-2.
It was more than enough for Manning and O'Brien - as Manning earned the win after six strong innings, allowing just four hits and striking out six, with O'Brien allowing just one hit and fanning seven for the save.
Pogue was 2-for-3 with two RBI in the win, with
Johnny Hyland adding two hits and three runs scored for the Coyotes. Wrotenbery had the lone multi-hit game for the Owls, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
C of I tentatively is headed to California this weekend for five games - beginning Friday at Saint Katherine.
