CALDWELL, Idaho – College of Idaho and Central Washington combined for 41 runs and 57 hits on the day, as the two schools split a doubleheader for the second-straight day at Wolfe Field.
The Wildcats (2-2) built a 7-0 lead in the opener and held off a furious C of I rally in a 12-11 win, while the Yotes rode five strong innings of relief from
Ben Gaff in a 10-8 Game 2 victory.
Gaff handcuffed the CWU attack, limiting the Cats to just four hits in picking up his first collegiate win, allowing two unearned runs, walking just one man and striking out four.
Austin Ohland ripped and RBI double in the first inning and added a run-scoring double in the fourth, as Central took leads of 3-0 and 6-4.
The Coyotes (5-3) answered, taking the lead for good in the fifth on a
Ryan Blokker 2-run double down the right field line. C of I would extend the lead to 10-6 in the seventh on a
Weston Miller single.
Gaff did the rest, stranding the tying run at home plate in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Ben Hansen went 3-for-4, with
Jonah Hultberg,
Skyler Sadora,
Tristen Garland and Blokker each recording two hits in the win.
CWU jumped out quickly in the opener behind Ohland, who launched RBI doubles in both the first and second innings. The Yotes played catch-up, as Gaff roped a 2-run triple and Hultberg launched his fourth homer of the season, a 2-run blast, cutting the margin to 7-5 after four innings.
The visitors regained a 11-5 lead against the Coyote bullpen – but lefty
Andrew Vaughn kept C of I in the game with three strong innings of relief – allowing just one run on three hits. The Yotes got within 12-10 in the eighth on a Garland RBI single – but stranded the tying runs in scoring position – with Hultberg singling and scoring in the ninth, but could not plate the equalizer.
Kirby Robertson and Garland each had three hits in the loss, with both Gaff and
Dillon Danner going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Adam Fahsel had four hits and three RBI for CWU.
C of I continues their 10-game homestand next weekend, hosting Whitman for a 4-game series.
