CALDWELL, Idaho – An infield single by Kahi Hirano with two outs in the top of the seventh inning broke an 8-8 tie, as Saint Martin's rallied for a 10-8 victory over the College of Idaho at frigid Wolfe Field.
The Division II Saints (1-3) scored six runs off of 10 C of I walks – rallying from 3-1 and 7-5 deficits to earn their first win of the season,
Zach Raczok got SMU on the board in the second with a run scoring single, only to have the Yotes (5-8) counter with a three-run third – capitalizing on three Saints errors.
Ryan Murkle tied the game with a bases loaded walk,
Dalton Ridgway gave C of I the lead with an RBI groundout, while a third run scored on an error.
In the fourth, the Saints took advantage of the Yotes wildness – as the first five men reached via walks – with SMU scoring four runs – on a walk, a balk, a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Steven Sordahl. C of I regained the lead in the bottom of the inning, stringing together five hits – including two-run singles from
Dominic Conigliaro and Ridgway, to regain the lead at 7-5.
Unfortunately, the Coyotes offense went dormant the rest of the way, as Benjamin Wadowski and Zach Stevenson combined to allow just one hit and strikeout eight over the final five-plus innings.
SMU took the lead in the sixth – and benefitted from an overturned call by the umpire crew – to load the bases with no outs. A double play ball scored Hirano, with Adam Eskil following with a two-run homer, his first of two long balls on the day, to give the Saints the 8-7 lead.
C of I would tie the score on a
Devon Pogue sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning, but in the seventh, Raczok doubled with two outs and moved to third on a wild pitch. Hirano hit a ball deep in the hole to the right side, but Conigliaro's throw to pitcher
Drew Klassen was a split-second too late, allowing Raczok to score the go-ahead run.
Sordahl was 3-for-5 in the win for SMU, with Eskil, Raczok and Micah McNicoll all recording two hits. The Saints won despite a season-high six errors.
Johnny Hyland and
Cole Mansanarez each had two hits for the Coyotes, as Klassen took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings of relief.
The two teams play Game 2 of the five-game series tomorrow at 2 p.m.
