Klamath Falls, Ore. — The College of Idaho stayed alive at the Cascade Conference Championship on Saturday, grinding out a pair of wins over Simpson and Eastern Oregon to advance in the elimination bracket.
With the two victories, the Yotes move on to face top-seeded Oregon Tech in a rematch at noon MT, with a spot in the championship series against Southern Oregon on the line.
The wins also carried added significance, as the Yotes secured the season series against both opponents. After splitting regular-season meetings 2-2 with Simpson and Eastern Oregon, College of Idaho's postseason victories pushed each matchup to a 3-2 edge in favor of the Yotes.
The day began with a dramatic 3-2 extra-inning victory over Simpson, as the Yotes showed resilience in a back-and-forth battle. Simpson struck first in the third on an RBI double from Kassandra Soria, but College of Idaho answered in the fourth when Kina Watts launched a solo home run to even the score.
Soria gave Simpson the lead again with a solo shot in the fifth, but the Yotes continued to respond. In the seventh, a clutch RBI single from Watts scored Kayla Vahlberg to tie the game at 2-2 and force extra innings.
After holding Simpson scoreless in the top of the 10th, the Yotes capitalized in the bottom half. Madelyn Powell led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Lena Zahniser before Chloe Flerchinger delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly to lift College of Idaho to the 3-2 win.
College of Idaho carried that momentum into the afternoon matchup with Eastern Oregon, securing a 4-2 victory behind timely hitting and a complete-game effort in the circle from Watts.
The Yotes struck first in the second inning when Hallie Campbell drove in a run with a single, and they added another in the fourth as Chloe Flerchinger came around to score on a wild pitch.
After pushing the lead to 3-0 in the sixth on an RBI single from Kamryn Ham, Eastern Oregon responded with two runs in the bottom half to cut the deficit to one.
College of Idaho answered immediately, as Powell led off the seventh with a solo home run to provide a key insurance run and extend the lead to 4-2.
Watts closed the door from there, tossing all seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits while working around traffic to secure the win.
Offensively, Flerchinger paced the Yotes with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, while Ham added two hits and an RBI. Powell scored twice and delivered the late home run that helped seal the victory.
Now winners of two straight in the elimination bracket, the Yotes will need to keep their run going against Oregon Tech. College of Idaho previously fell to the Owls in a 1-0 pitcher's duel on Friday and will look to flip the script with a championship series berth at stake.
