SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - The College of Idaho softball team split a dramatic opening-day doubleheader with Bushnell University on Friday afternoon at Rich Schwab Field, riding dominant pitching in the nightcap after a back-and-forth slugfest slipped away in the opener.
Game one was chaos from first pitch to the final swing.
The Yotes built an early cushion behind timely hitting, then weathered multiple momentum swings before one final blow swung the game in Bushnell's favor. The College of Idaho scored in the first and third innings to grab a 4-0 lead, highlighted by a two-run home run from
Audrey Sweet and RBI hits from
Lena Zahniser and
Isabella Fazzio. Fazzio finished the opener with three hits and two RBI, while the Yotes piled up 15 hits overall.
Bushnell chipped away in the middle innings and then erupted late. The Beacons scored in five straight innings, capitalizing on extended at-bats and defensive miscues, before delivering the decisive moment in the bottom of the seventh. With the Yotes having charged back with a seven-run rally in the top half of the inning to briefly reclaim the lead, Bushnell answered with a three-run walk-off home run to secure a 13-11 victory.
Despite the loss, The College of Idaho's offense showed depth and resilience.
Madelyn Powell went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Sweet drove in two, and
Alyssa Melendez added a pair of RBI extra-base hits as the Yotes out-hit Bushnell, 15-11.
Game two flipped the script entirely.
Behind a masterful performance from
Drew Williams in the circle, The College of Idaho responded with a composed and relentless 4-0 shutout victory. Williams scattered four hits across seven innings, striking out three without issuing a walk to earn her 13th win of the season. Bushnell threatened only sporadically, never advancing a runner past second base after the fourth inning.
Offensively, the Yotes waited patiently before delivering the knockout blow. All four runs came across in the fifth and sixth innings. Capitalizing on pressure and execution, The College of Idaho scored three times in the fifth, mixing a sacrifice fly, a run-scoring single from Zahniser, and an error forced by aggressive baserunning.
Kamryn Ham added insurance in the sixth with an RBI single to center, finishing the game with two hits.
Hallie Campbell scored twice and doubled to spark the offense, while Ham and Zahniser each drove in runs. The Yotes finished with seven hits and drew five walks, applying constant pressure to the Bushnell defense.
The split leaves the two teams deadlocked in the series heading into Saturday's finale, with momentum firmly contested after an 24-run opener and a crisp defensive response in game two.
The College of Idaho and Bushnell will conclude the series tomorrow with another doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. MT.
