C of I Completes Sweep of No. 19 Oregon Tech
CALDWELL, Idaho -- The College of Idaho softball team completed a perfect weekend with a sweep of No. 19 ranked Oregon Tech, winning 2-1 and 5-2 at Symms Field.
With the wins, the Lady Yotes (23-16, 12-10 CCC) moved into sole possession of third-place in the Cascade Conference standings and extended their win streak to a season-high eight games, while ending OIT's win streak at 16.
Game 1 was a pitchers dual between all-stars Katie Zillner and Jenni Bittle, as both hurlers put goose-eggs on the board through five innings. Tech (32-12, 18-4) got on the board first, as Amber Sinicrope reached on an error and scored on a two-out Brittany Warren double - one of only four hits allowed by Zillner. The Yotes would come right back, loading the bases with one out, with Stacy Smith singling home the tying run.
The C of I would win it in the bottom of the seventh, as Donnae Carrell singled and moved to second on a two-out Zillner base hit. Dani Villyard would follow, ripping a Bittle offering off the left field wall for the game winner.
Zillner had three hits, with Smith, Carrell, and Villyard each having two hits for the Yotes, while Bittle fanned 11 batters in the loss for OIT.
Game 2 saw the Yotes break open a 1-1 tie in the third with a four-run outburst, getting a three-run Haley Butcher home run and an RBI single from Kalie Kurdy to take a 5-1 lead. Tech would cut the margin to 5-2 in the sixth, but Carrell came in relief of starter Brooke Judy and with the tying run at the plate, coaxed a pair of pop ups to get out of the jam. Zillner would then record the final three outs to pick up the save.
Judy won her third-straight decision, allowing just one earned run with three strikeouts in five-plus innings of work. Smith and Villyard each had two hits in the win, while Katie King went 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Owls.
The Coyotes can clinch their second-straight berth to the NAIA Region I Tournament on Saturday when they host Eastern Oregon at 1 p.m. One win for the squad would secure no-worse than third-place and the final automatic berth in the postseason.