CALDWELL, Idaho –
Dominic Conigliaro tossed seven-plus innings of five-hit ball and crushed a long three-run homer, helping the College of Idaho salvage the final game of a five-game series with Benedictine-Mesa, winning 9-5 at Wolfe Field.
Making his first career start, Conigliaro retired 10 men in a row at one stretch, walking just two in picking up the win – as the Coyotes (3-6) ended a three-game losing streak.
The Yotes plated two runs in each of the first two innings – taking advantage of erratic pitching from the Redhawks (7-5). C of I loaded the bases on three walks in the first – plating runs on a
Kole Lane hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly by
Nick Mooney. An inning later, C of I tacked on runs on a
Tate Spivey RBI single, with
Johnny Hyland scoring on a wild pitch.
BenU got a run back in the third on a solo homer off the batters eye in center field by Anthony Apodaca, but the Yotes answered an inning later, as
Carter Vieira doubled, scoring on a Spivey sacrifice fly.
The Yotes broke the game open in the seventh, as Hyland and Spivey walked – with
Austin Van Horne dropping down a perfect bunt single, allowing Hyland to score when the throw to first went awry. Conigliaro followed, clearing the bases with his long drive over the right field wall.
In the eighth, the Redhawks scored a pair on a Christian Camacho double and added two runs in the ninth – taking advantage of three C of I walks – but left the tying run in the on deck circle.
Van Horne was 2-for-2 for the Yotes in the win, with Hyland going 2-for-2 with three runs scored and three stolen bases. Camacho was 2-for-4 in the loss for BenU.
C of I hits the road next weekend, heading to Arizona for a four-game series at Ottawa University in Phoenix.
