CALDWELL, Idaho – Despite another big afternoon from
Jonah Hultberg, The College of Idaho saw their 6-game win streak snapped by Division II Northwest Nazarene, as the Nighthawks swept a doubleheader at Wolfe Field.
NNU (2-0), playing the Yotes for the first time since 2015, held on for an 8-6 Game 1 win, while rode quality pitching for a 5-1 victory in a nightcap.
Hultberg recorded his fifth and sixth-straight multi-hit games – going 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the opener, while going 2-for-3 with a double in Game 2. He finished the week 11-of-16 at the plate.
The Nighthawks, however, provided just enough offense to win the two games. A 5-run second inning in Game 1, keyed by a 2-run triple from John Gonzalez, gave NNU a 6-0 lead. C of I would cut the deficit to 7-6 in the fifth – getting the Hultberg RBI double and an
Austin Van Horne 2-run homer in the third and a
Weston Miller 2-run single in the fifth, to cut the margin to a run.
C of I had their chances to pull even, but stranded men in scoring position in both the sixth and eighth innings.
Carter Vieira went 3-for-3 in the loss, with
Matthew Clay and Miller each recording two hits.
In Game 2, three NNU pitchers limited the Yotes to a sixth inning
Tobey Summers sacrifice fly – as starter Sasha Jabusch worked five shutout innings, allowing just three hits.
A 3-run first was all the Nighthawks needed, as a Gonzalez run-scoring double was the big blast.
Ben Tighe was the tough luck loser, pitching six strong innings, allowing just six hits.
The two teams will close out the 4-game series with a Monday doubleheader at Wolfe Field, starting at 1 p.m.
