CALDWELL, Idaho – The No. 13 College of Idaho softball team recorded a pair of shutouts, 1-0 and 9-0 in a doubleheader sweep of Carroll to begin Cascade Collegiate Conference play and in its home opener for 2024 on Saturday.
College of Idaho (9-7, 2-0 CCC) picked up a RBI single in the third inning by
Hattie Hruza which proved to be the difference. The effort of reliever
Grace Neer is what earns the spotlight. The sophomore entered the game with the tying run at second and the go-ahead run at first in the sixth. After allowing a ground out, the base runners moved to second and third. Then, the Fighting Saints loaded the bases with walk before Neer made a defensive play in the circle when she threw home on a ball hit to her for the second out of the inning. The next batter also hit a ground ball to Neer, who threw to first to escape the jam.
In the seventh, she got three groundouts to seal the win. Yotes starter
Annie Polster went five innings, allowing four hits to raise her record to 5-3.
After such a narrow victory in game one, the bats came alive in the nightcap on its way to a 9-0, five-inning win for College of Idaho. The Yotes plated three in the first, two more in the second and four in the third.
Lena Zahniser had two hits and three RBI to lead C of I. Seven-different Yotes scored a run and seven-different ones also had a hit.
Neer went the distance and allowed just one hit – a single in the fifth for the win.
The two teams wrap up the weekend series with a doubleheader on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Symms Field
