CALDWELL, Idaho - No. 8 College of Idaho rallied for a pair of wins over the University of British Columbia, winning game one by a 4-3 margin and taking game two by a 10-3 advantage to complete a doubleheader and series sweep on Saturday.
The Yotes (37-6, 21-5 CCC) picked up its 13
th and 14
th win at home in the process. Between the two games of the doubleheader, the program recognized 14 student-athletes who have been contributors to the success of the program on and off the field.
Game one saw College of Idaho pick up the walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh. The visiting Thunderbirds tied the game in the top of the seventh at three before a walk-off RBI single by
Haley Loffer plated Lysette Viilegas in the bottom of the inning for the win.
The Yotes had six hits – two in the seventh – in the win. To set the stage for the walk-off win,
Lena Zahniser came off the bench with a single to start the inning. Next,
Hallie Holland laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved pinchrunner
Lysette Villegas into scoring position to face lead-off batter
Haley Loffer. Next, the grad student shortstop got her second hit of the day with a single as the ball was misplayed by the Thunderbirds right fielder that allowed Villegas to score from second and the winning run.
The two hits by Loffer led the six-hit attack for College of Idaho.
Katelyn Wilfert pitched seven innings of four-hit softball and racked up seven more strikeouts to raise her record to 15-3.
The nightcap saw the two teams tied at 3 in the fifth inning before the host Yotes sent 12 batters to the plate for eight runs on eight hits. A two-RBI double by pinch hitter
Hattie Hruza regained the lead for C of I, who went ahead 5-3 in the ining. Later in the inning, a two-RBI single with the bases loaded by
Kaylee MacDannald stretched the lead to 8-3. The Yotes would add two more in the inning on its way to the win.
The Yotes picked up 12 hits in the win with three from
Kaily Christensen, two each from
Haley Loffer and
Katelyn Wilfert. Christensen also had two RBI and 10-different players for C of I scored in the contest.
Hannah McNerney picked up the win in the circle for College of Idaho, raising her record to 18-2. She struck out five and allowed eight hits in the win.
Next, College of Idaho will wrap up the regular season with a trip to Eugene, Oregon to face Bushnell, April 21 and 22 and a mid-week trip to La Grande, Oregon to face Eastern Oregon on Tuesday, April 25.
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