OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –
Zach Draper tossed a complete game and struck out 10, but the College of Idaho could not give the left-hander run support, as Friends University defeated the Coyotes, 5-1, in Game 1 of the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket at Jim Wade Stadium.
The loss by the Yotes (24-29) drops C of I into an elimination game tomorrow against the loser of today's Campbellsville (Ky.) and Mayville State (N.D.) contest. C of I will have to win five consecutive games over the next three days to advance to the AVISTA-NAIA World Series.
"They did not hit a ball hard against us all day," said C of I skipper
Shawn Humberger. "We failed to execute on a pair of bunt situations in the seventh inning and they got a bleeder to score a couple."
The Yotes had two golden no out opportunities – putting runners at second and third in the first and loading the bases in the eighth – but managed just one run against Falcons (32-20) starter Ryan Baca, who delivered eight strong innings to pick up his school's first-ever national tournament win.
"We had opportunities – especially with the heart of our order coming up with men in scoring position," Humberger said. "Unfortunately we did not take a good approach at the plate – trying to pull off-speed pitches in this small ballpark instead of doing what we've done all season. Give their pitcher credit, he did a good job."
Things looked promising for the Yotes early on – as
Johnny Hyland reached on an error to start the game and
Dalton Ridgway doubled. Baca, however, buckled down and struck out three-straight C of I batters to escape trouble. An inning later,
Sam Grise singled with two outs, with courtesy runner Nate Hundley thrown out a home to end the inning, trying to score from first after
Bobby Wright reached a dropped pop up.
Friends manufactured a run in the third inning as Eric Baynton singled with one out, was bunted to second and scored on a flare into center by Jacob Trimble.
Both starters cruised through the middle innings, with the Falcons breaking the game open in the seventh. Jordan Burnett blooped a double to start the inning, with Zach McAnally reaching when Draper could not cleanly field a sacrifice bunt. Baynton rolled an RBI single through the left side to plate Burnett for a 2-0 lead. Augie Isaacson squeezed home McAnally to add to the lead, with Elijah Christenson capping the frame with a seeing-eye single to score two, giving Friends the 5-0 edge.
C of I threatened in the eighth, as Wright doubled, Hyland walked and Ridgway singled – loading the bases. Baca got a strikeout and a pop out before walking Van Horne on a 3-2 pitch, but coaxed
Hunter Hanson into a pop out to end the rally.
Draper was the tough luck loser for the Yotes, allowing just eight hits and striking out 10 – pushing his season total to 100. Ridgway was 3-for-4 in the loss for C of I.
Baca threw 134 pitches to earn his tenth win, walking just two and striking out seven. Baynton and Trimble each had two hits for the Falcons.
