VANCOUVER, B.C. — The College of Idaho opened its road series with a setback Friday evening, falling to the RV University of British Columbia, 11-4, at Tourmaline West.
C of I (23-14, 14-12 CCC) struck first in the third inning, as James Hull delivered an RBI single to plate the game's opening run. The Thunderbirds quickly answered and seized control, using a two-run home run from Josh Cote and taking advantage of defensive miscues to build a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning.
British Columbia (26-12, 20-6 CCC) continued to apply pressure in the middle innings. A solo home run by Kellen Bourne in the fourth and aggressive baserunning helped the T-Birds extend the lead to 6-1 through five innings.
The Yotes threatened throughout, collecting 13 hits on the night, but struggled to convert opportunities, leaving 12 runners on base. Corbin Sterner paced C of I at the plate with a 3-for-5 performance, while Austin Moon and Pete Bacon each added two hits.
UBC broke the game open in the seventh inning when Matt Vrlak delivered a bases-clearing double to push the lead to 9-1.
C of I mounted its best rally in the eighth inning. Connor Olsen came off the bench and sparked the offense with a two-run double to left center, and Hull added another RBI to trim the deficit to 9-4.
The Thunderbirds responded immediately in the bottom half, scoring twice on a Braeden Scott single to halt the momentum and seal the 11-4 final.
Despite being outhit 13-12, the T-Birds capitalized on key moments, driving in eight runs and taking advantage of two Yotes errors.
The two teams will continue their four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. MT.
