Yote Softball Takes on Carroll College in Four Game Series

CALDWELL, Idaho - The College of Idaho softball team travels to Missoula, Mont. to take on Carroll College in a four game Cascade Conference series. The game, originally scheduled to be played in Helena, Mont. on Friday and Saturday, was moved to Sunday and Monday due to weather.

Sunday's doubleheader is set for 3 p.m. while Monday's doubleheader is set for 11 a.m.

Last weekend, the Yotes dropped four games - three of them counting in Cascade Conference play - to Oregon Tech at home. 

The Yotes are 11-8 on the season and 2-4 in Cascade Conference play. 

For ways to follow the game, visit www.carrollathletics.com.

Against Oregon Tech

Last weekend's series started with a 4-2 loss the Yotes. They trailed 4-0 going into the seventh inning, but home runs from Trystin Crofts and Taylor Eakle put them within two. After that, the Yotes filled the bases but a Delaney Atkins fly ball to center field cut the comeback short.

In the second game on Saturday, the Owls struck early again and put up three runs in the first inning and a fourth in the third. In the bottom of the third, Jordan Maddox singled to send Kristin Paulazzo home, making the score 4-1. Oregon Tech tacked on three more before the end of the game and led 9-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning. Then, Courtney Ellis made it home after Atkins reached first on a dropped fly. Atkins and Crofts had the final runs of the game when Crofts batted a homer over the center field fence. The game ended with a score of 9-4. 

The Owls controlled the first of Sunday's games, picking up two runs in the third inning and one in the fifth. Once again, the College of Idaho mounted a late comeback with a Crofts homerun. Her hit over the left field fence also resulted in a run for Eakle.

In the final of the game in the series, the Yotes opened the game strong and picked up their first lead of the weekend. Crofts reached on a fielders choice which led to an Kylie Smith run. After that, a Martha Tooley sacrifice fly resulted in an Angelina Romero run to make the score 2-0. The Owls responded with five unanswered runs between the third and fifth innings. Crofts would make it home two more times - once on a Tooley double and again on a Tooley sacrifice fly - and Aleah Mendiola would tack another on with a wild pitch, but the Yotes would fall 6-5 in the final game of the series. 

Colette Robert pitched the first game of both days. In the first of her two losses this weekend, she posted three strikeouts, allowing five hits and two walks. In her second game, she allowed nine hits and three runs while walking none and striking out one. Ali Longoria - picking up the loss in the second game after pitching three innings - allowed five hits and four runs, walking one and striking out none. Four Yotes - Sadee Sorensen, Loryn Fonger, Hailey Hudson and Nichole Giesy - all made an appearance on the mound during the final game of the series, but the loss ultimately went to Sorensen who pitched three innings. She allowed five hits, walked two and struck out one. 

About Carroll College

The Saints are 13-6 on the season and opened their Cascade Conference schedule last weekend with a four game series - with three counting towards their conference record - at British Columbia. They won two of four games in the series but only one of the three Cascade Conference counters. 

The Yotes and the Saints have faced two common opponents this season - Benedictine Mesa and Ottawa (AZ). The Yotes went 2-0 against Ottawa and split their games with Benedictine Mesa. The Saints split with Ottawa and swept Benedictine Mesa. 

The Saints were picked to finish fifth in the Cascade Conference Preaseason Coaches' Poll, one spot beneath the Yotes. 

Hitting

Trystin Crofts is leading the way for the Yotes in slugging percentage this season with 1.000. She also has a .400 batting average and .500 on base percentage. Jordan Maddox is leading in hits this season with 28 followed by Courtney Ellis was 25 and Kylie Smith with 22. Maddox also leads in RBI with 15 followed by Smith and Kristin Paulazzo with 11. 

Pitching

On the mound, Colette Robert is leading the way with a 1.70 ERA for the season and a .244 OPA. She has pitched 66 innings and struck out 41 batters. Sadee Sorensen follows Robert with a 4.42 ERA and .304 OPA. She has pitched 25 innings and struck out eight batters. 

Success at Home

A year ago, C of I finished their home season with a 13-11 record - the 11th-straight season the Yotes have recorded a .500 or better record at Symms Field. During the 11-year stretch, C of I has a combined 163-82 record on their home diamond.

Looking Forward

After winning the 2017 CCC Championship, Southern Oregon was picked first in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll while the Yotes were picked fourth. The College of Idaho returned to the CCC playoffs after a two-year hiatus and advanced to the semi-finals. 

The Yotes will face a tough conference schedule with two teams returning from a trip to the NAIA World Series and two teams in the top-five nationally. 

The Lady Yotes have made seven postseason appearances in the 17-year history of the program - advancing to the CCC Championships in 2006, 2013, 2014 and 2017 - winning the title in 2013. The team qualified for the 2007 and 2008 NAIA Region I Tournaments - winning the 2008 title and losing in the title game in 2007. 

Playoff Structure

The CCC Championships will once again be played at the home site of the regular-season champion – with the host receiving one of two automatic bids to the NAIA National Championships. The six-team tournament will be determined by the 27-game round-robin schedule – with the tourney champ earning the league's second bid to Nationals.