ASHLAND, Ore. - The College of Idaho softball team closed out its 2025 campaign with heart and hustle, splitting a pair of games Wednesday at the NAIA Opening Round in the Ashland Bracket. A dominant 4-2 victory over No. 2 Saint Xavier (Ill.) in the morning kept the Yotes' season alive, but a late surge by Hope International in the afternoon tilted the semifinal 6-3 in favor of the Royals, ending the Yotes' postseason run.
Game 1: Yotes upset No. 2 St. Xavier
Senior ace Abbey Brooks delivered a complete-game gem in the opener, scattering five hits while striking out four and walking none in a 97-pitch performance that earned her 14th win of the year. The offense backed her up early and efficiently.
After Ashlynn Nixon singled and scored in the first, Lolo Walker and Madelyn Powell took over in the fourth inning. Walker smoked her second RBI double of the day before Powell blasted a two-run homer to right-center to put the Yotes up 4–0. The
Cougars clawed back with solo tallies in the sixth and seventh, but Brooks closed the door with poise and precision.
Walker led the charge at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Powell added a homer and two more RBIs in her final appearance against Saint Xavier.
Game 2: Royals Rally Back
Riding the wave of their morning triumph, the Yotes jumped on Hope International early in the semifinal. Kamryn Ham led off with one of her four hits on the day, igniting a three-run first inning capped by Lena Zahniser's two-RBI single and an RBI knock from Hallie Campbell.
But after that explosive start, the bats went quiet.
Hope chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth before erupting for four in the fifth, aided by timely hits and a critical error. The Yotes used four pitchers in the contest, but couldn't slow the Royals' offense, which tallied 12 hits on the day.
Despite the loss, Ham shined with a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the plate, capping a breakout season with a flourish.
The Yotes will head back to Caldwell to start preparing for the 2026 campaign.
