CALDWELL, Idaho –
Hunter Boyd tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts and
Payton Lewis combined for five hits on the afternoon, as the College of Idaho split a doubleheader with Saint Martin's University at Wolfe Field.
The Coyotes (5-8) used a big first inning and rode Boyd's arm to a 5-3 win in the opener, while SMU scored three ninth inning unearned runs to break a tie and claim the late game, 5-2.
GAME 1: C of I used a 4-run inning to grab a lead they would never surrender, with Boyd and
Austin Van Horne working around 10 hits and stranding eight Saints (2-4) runners.
The Yotes pieced together a two-out rally in their first at bat – as Van Horne singled and
Dylan Mansanarez was hit by a pitch. Lewis followed with a two-strike single into left to plate Van Horne for the early.
Jake Bowman kept the inning going with a two-run double just inside the first base bag and
Caden Jensen capped the frame with an RBI single.
Boyd was dominant, retiring nine in a row in the middle innings before Ryne Oshiro chased him with a 2-run double off the center field wall in the seventh. Enter Van Horne, who struck out Austin Feist with the tying runners aboard to get out of the jam – getting the final seven outs for his first collegiate save.
Both Lewis and Bowman went 2-for-4 for the Yotes, with Oshiro and Colton Peha each recording two hits for SMU. Saints starter Tanner Inouye went seven innings – allowing just one hit after the first inning, striking out nine, in a losing effort.
GAME 2: The Saints pieced together a ninth inning rally – taking advantage of two crucial C of I miscues – to steal the win.
Benjamin Wadowski led off the ninth by reaching on a throwing error, followed by a bloop Cody Chavis single. SMU loaded the bases on a dropped throw at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Micah McNicholl and took the lead when pinch runner Kahi Hirano scored on a wild pitch. Oshiro made it 5-2 on a bloop 2-run single to right.
It was enough for reliever Mickey Walker, who allowed just two base runners in three shutout innings of relief – striking out four – to pick up the win.
SMU grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-out Wadowski 2-run single, but C of I pulled even in the third – as the Yotes put runners at second and third with only one out, plating a run on a wild pitch and the tying run on a
Matthew Clay sacrifice fly.
Both starters were solid – as
Richard Walker went seven innings for the Coyotes, allowing just two runs on five hits, striking out three – while Aaron Shoup fanned six in six innings for the Saints.
Oshiro was 2-for-4 in the win for SMU, with Lewis recording three of the Yotes five hits. Van Horne went 0-for-3 with a walk, snapping his career-best hit streak at 17 games - the longest by a Coyote since 2006 - but extended his consecutive games reached base streak to 18.
The two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow, with first pitch set for 11 a.m., following by a single-game on Sunday, also at 11 a.m.
