Complete Team Effort Leads No. 12 College of Idaho Softball to Doubleheader Sweep of Northwest University

BELLEVUE, Wash. - No. 12 College of Idaho extended its winning streak to three games with a doubleheader sweep of host Northwest, 4-1 in game one and 5-4 in game two on Friday

College of Idaho (18-2, 6-2 CCC) used the strength of the top four of its order – Haley Loffer, Kaylee MacDannald, Madelyn Powell and Tanner Higgins – to complement a solid pitching effort from Katelyn Wilfert in the game one victory. The top four in the order accounted for eight of the nine hits and had all four of the RBI. Wilfert allowed just five hits and struck out five in a complete game win to raise her record to 8-1. Game two saw College of Idaho plate three runs in the top of the seventh to erase a 4-2 deficit. In the seventh, the Yotes got three hits – a triple by Hattie Hruza, a RBI single by Makenna Luke (pictured) and an a RBI double by MacDannald. The defense rose to the occasion in the bottom of the seventh when right fielder Lexi Navarrete made a successful throw in the outfield to get the tying run out at third.

Game 1

The two teams each scored a run in the first inning before College of Idaho scored a run in the third, fifth and seventh inning en route to the 4-1 win. Haley Loffer, Madelyn Powell and Tanner Higgins each had two hits and a RBI in the win for the Yotes. Wilfert went the distance in the circle for College of Idaho to raise her record to 8-1, allowing five hits and striking out five.
An unearned run in the third by College of Idaho put the visitors ahead 2-1 and stretched its lead in the fifth on a RBI groundout b Kaylee MacDannald, who brought in Haley Loffer, who tripled to begin the inning. College of Idaho managed to plate another unearned run on three hits in the seventh for the final margin.  

Game 2

A three-run first inning by the host Eagles gave them an early 3-0 lead before College of Idaho cut into the lead with a two-run second inning. With a one-run lead in the third, Northwest added a run to stretch its lead 4-2.

Down 4-2 in the seventh, College of Idaho scored three runs on three hits for its first win on the season after trailing thru six innings of play. In the seventh, Hattie Hruza started the inning with a triple; then with one out, Navarrete was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners and the tying run at the plate with Makenna Luke at bat. The junior from Livermore, California drove in her second run of the game with a RBI to make it a 4-3 game. Then, Hallie Holland scored Navarrete to tie the game at 4 on a fielder's choice. The Eagles elected to intentionally walk Haley Loffer to put runners on first and second with two out. Kaylee MacDannald stepped in and managed to hit a double to score pinch runner Ysabella Villegas from second on a double for what proved to be the game-winning run.
With the Yotes leading for the first time in the nightcap, Northwest mounted a threat in its half of the seventh. After a pair of ground outs, College of Idaho elected to intentionally walk the Eagles' Sydney Maurer, who earlier in the game hit a 3-run home run in the first. Then, a single by the Eagles Paige Creasey to right field was quickly and alertly picked up by the Yotes right fielder Lexi Navarrete, who threw out pinch runner Sarah Anderson who was trying to go from first to third on the single to end the game.
The series will wrap up on Saturday with a doubleheader at noon (PT)/1 p.m. (MT).