LEWISTON, Idaho — College of Idaho opened its road swing Friday with a 9-4 loss at No. 7 Lewis-Clark State at Harris Field.
The Yotes (20-9, 11-7) battled back midway through the game but could not overcome an early deficit and a 15-hit performance from the Warriors.
Lewis-Clark State struck for three runs in the first inning, putting College of Idaho in an early hole. The Yotes got on the board in the third when James Hull doubled and later came around to score on a Warrior error, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
After LC State added two runs in the fourth, College of Idaho responded in the sixth. Austin Moon led off the inning with a double before Caden Casagrande delivered the big swing, launching a two-run home run to left center to bring the Yotes within 5-3.
The momentum was not enough, however, as the Warriors answered with a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning and added two more runs in the eighth to extend the lead.
College of Idaho pushed across a run in the ninth on an RBI from Logan Dreher to account for the final margin.
Casagrande finished with a team-high two RBIs, while Moon scored twice and collected a hit. Dreher added an RBI, and Hull recorded the Yotes' lone extra-base hit outside of the sixth-inning rally. College of Idaho totaled seven hits in the contest.
Jackson Cummins (3-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs on 13 hits over 5.2 innings. Calvin Euper and Luca Quilici combined for two innings of relief, while Willy Shirts recorded an out in the sixth.
The Yotes and Warriors continue the series Saturday with a doubleheader before wrapping up the weekend Sunday.
