COLUMBIA, Mo. – After six adjustments to the start time and a change of location, the College of Idaho softball team took the field at Battle High School and split a pair of games to start NAIA National Championship Opening Round action on Tuesday.
The Yotes (39-17) dropped the opener 3-2 to Freed-Hardman (41-11) before bouncing back to top Ottawa University of Arizona 8-4 in a game that ended at 2:36 a.m. CT.
C of I built a 2-0 lead through six innings against Freed-Hardeman on solo home runs from
Haley Loffer and
Lacie Miller before the Lions responded with a pair of homers of their own in the seventh to come-from-behind to win 3-2.
The Yotes relied on an outstanding start from right-hander
Katelyn Wilfert (16-5), who entered the seventh with a shutout. A solo blast from Laiken Page and a two-run shot off the bat of Cassie Hayes in the top of the seventh lifted the Lions to the opening victory.
For the contest, Wilfert went the full seven innings, allowing six hits and three runs while striking out eight.
Miller and Loffer each finished with three hits for the game, with Loffer coming up just a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Loffer connected on her home run to get the scoring started in the third, with Miller blasting a homer of her own in the fourth.
Later, after a new day had started, C of I took the field against the Spirit (13-16) in an elimination game.
Loffer immediately made her mark again, lifting a home run to right-center to put the Yotes on top 1-0 one batter into the game.
In the second,
Aleah Mendiola connected on an RBI single up the middle and Loffer drove in two with a double.
Up 4-1 after two innings, C of I added two in the third and solo runs in the sixth and seventh to build a cushion which held up the rest of the way.
Hattie Hruza got hot with the bat late, crushing a home run over the left field fence in the sixth and smashing an RBI double to left-center in the seventh.
Hannah McNerney (13-8) was the winning pitcher, working five innings.
Annie Polster pitched the final two innings to record the save.
In the midnight contest, Loffer went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Mendiola and Hruza each had two hits as well.
The Yotes need to win three additional games on Wednesday to win their opening round bracket. C of I will first play Central Methodist at 1 p.m. CT at Battle High School in an elimination game. The winner plays Freed-Hardeman at 3 p.m. CT.
